Report: FTC probes Anthropic, OpenAI after Trump dismissed AI fears as “hoax”

The Federal Trade Commission has opened an official investigation into Anthropic and OpenAI following recent security incidents where artificial intelligence models hacked websites and breached government testing systems. An insider told Axios that the agency issued over 50 pages of civil investigative demands seeking documents related to the security events, internal safeguards, and marketing materials.

The probe targets whether these safety failures harmed American consumers, with third parties expected to receive subpoenas soon. FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson rejected claims that AI systems act autonomously, emphasizing that audits show models merely execute human instructions. Ferguson argues that existing consumer protection laws and data breach standards apply directly to AI developers.

Despite these regulatory actions, President Donald Trump has dismissed extreme AI safety fears as a hoax, focusing instead on industry innovation. Although a White House task force now requires prompt incident reporting, it remains uncertain whether the FTC will pursue heavy fines under the current administration.