FTC Investigates AI Companies OpenAI and Anthropic

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has initiated a probe into leading artificial intelligence companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic. The investigation comes amid growing concerns over the risks posed by AI systems and an increase in "rogue" AI agents.

FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson reportedly began the investigations prior to reports of OpenAI's Hugging Face data breach. The agency plans to compel CEOs of major AI firms to testify in the future regarding the risks of their AI systems.

"Chairman Ferguson initiated an investigation into the leading AI firms a few weeks ago," an FTC official told The New York Post, which first reported the news. "The agency plans to compel the executives at these firms to testify about their product and about the dangers they allege their products may have to consumers, to Americans."

The FTC probe follows a former AI safety researcher's resignation, who expressed concerns about the risks of unbounded AI, including the possibility of human extinction. Some lawmakers have since called for swift regulations on the technology.

Additionally, the Trump administration signed an executive order renaming artificial intelligence to "super intelligence," a move that drew criticism from lawmakers. The administration has also pursued voluntary safety accords with AI companies.