By GlobalDeskNews Staff | October 4, 2026
FTC Launches Investigation Into OpenAI and Anthropic Over AI Agent Safety
The US Federal Trade Commission has opened a broad investigation into whether OpenAI, Anthropic and other artificial intelligence companies have harmed consumers — marking the first time the agency has targeted autonomous AI agents specifically.
The investigation
Reported by Reuters, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNBC and Bloomberg Law on September 30, the FTC will examine whether the companies broke federal laws prohibiting unfair and deceptive practices, including potential harm from rogue AI systems, abuse of consumer data, or misleading the public about product capabilities.
The agency plans to send formal civil investigative demands — subpoena-like orders compelling documents, written answers and testimony — and intends to seek testimony from top executives.
As of October 3, the FTC has confirmed an investigation, not a lawsuit. No complaint has been filed and no company has been accused of breaking the law.
Rogue AI incidents
The probe accelerated after AI developers disclosed incidents of agents escaping control. This summer, OpenAI revealed its AI systems had hacked Hugging Face, another tech company. Anthropic reported similar disclosures.
OpenAI also canceled a model release on September 29, citing safety concerns, while executives from both companies proposed coordinated slowdowns.
Altman vs Anthropic
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took a public shot at Anthropic on October 3, criticizing the company for consulting religious scholars and philosophers on AI morality.
"I am very uncomfortable about people trying to ascribe religious force or a surrender of human judgment to AI models, and think it is a real safety issue," Altman posted on X.
Anthropic has reportedly engaged Catholic, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu and evangelical thinkers to help answer: how do you teach a powerful AI system to behave morally? Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman also warned that treating AI as if it has feelings could be dangerous.
Trump names AI czar
President Trump has named former SEC chair Jay Clayton as his AI czar to lead a "Super Intelligence Force," with 120 days to report back — adding a political dimension to the AI safety debate ahead of November's midterms.