FTC subpoenas OpenAI and Anthropic over AI safety incidents and consumer harm
The US Federal Trade Commission has sent civil investigative demands to OpenAI and Anthropic seeking documents on recent AI safety incidents, safeguarding practices, marketing materials and privacy policies. According to Axios, citing a person familiar with the matter, each demand runs more than 50 pages and the probe focuses on potential consumer protection violations; an FTC spokesperson confirmed the subpoenas to CBS News and declined further comment. Reports say the FTC also plans to seek testimony from top executives at both companies and to send demands to third-party AI organizations later; OpenAI said it will cooperate, while no Anthropic statement appeared in the reports.
Axios's source said any concerning evidence gathered may support FTC litigation if the agency decides to sue either firm for releasing unsafe products, and the demands came the same day eight US states sued OpenAI under consumer protection laws.
FTC subpoenas OpenAI and Anthropic following safety failures
The department is investigating possible consumer harms at the major AI companies.
By Anna Washenko Oct. 15, 2026 3:28 pm EST

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#Federal Trade Commission#OpenAI#Anthropic#Andrew Ferguson#White House Super Intelligence Force#ChatGPT#Hugging Face