The FTC is investigating OpenAI, Anthropic and other AI labs over the risks their technology poses to consumers.
An FTC spokesperson confirmed the investigation to CNBC and CBS News on Wednesday. The New York Post broke the story earlier that day, citing administration officials. The agency is examining OpenAI, Anthropic and other unnamed AI labs over the risks their products pose to consumers. Beyond confirming the probe exists, the FTC has not detailed which products, practices or specific harms are under scrutiny.
The FTC's authority here comes from consumer protection law - the agency polices unfair and deceptive business practices, not AI safety in the abstract. That framing matters: investigators will likely focus on whether AI labs' claims about their products match reality, not on speculative existential-risk scenarios. For companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, that is a narrower but still serious exposure, given how many people now use their chatbots for everything from medical questions to legal advice.
Call it safety enforcement by proxy: with no comprehensive AI law on the books, the FTC's decades-old consumer protection authority is doing the job Congress hasn't gotten around to.