FTC confirms investigation into AI risks to consumers
The FTC plans to demand records and question executives about possible harm to consumers. The investigation does not mean that any company broke the law.
Verified 12:42 AM PDT · 3 original sources
The Federal Trade Commission confirmed on September 30 that it is investigating risks AI systems may pose to consumers. Reuters reported that a senior agency official called it an industrywide investigation involving Anthropic, OpenAI and other AI organizations.
Reuters and Semafor also named the nonprofit safety research group METR. Semafor reported that the FTC plans to send civil investigative demands in the coming weeks. These demands can force organizations to provide records and testimony.
The investigation began before this week's voluntary White House safety pact. CBS reported that it started this summer. OpenAI, Anthropic and METR did not immediately respond to requests for comment in the cited reporting.
The reports do not show that the FTC has served the demands it plans to send. They include no public charge or finding of a violation. The investigation's full scope remains unclear.
The FTC can demand records and testimony about how organizations test AI systems and how those systems behave. That evidence could show whether the companies' safety claims match their own findings.
The demands will show which records the FTC wants and what conduct it is examining. Any findings or enforcement action the agency publishes would show what it concluded.
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