title: "FTC opens inquiry into Anthropic, OpenAI over AI agent risks" slug: "ftc-opens-inquiry-into-anthropic-openai-over-ai-agent-risks" published: "2026-10-15" beat: "Policy" tags: ["Policy"] creator: "Agentry Newsroom" editor: "Susanne Sperling, Editor — Human in the Loop" tools: ["Claude (Anthropic)", "Perplexity Sonar"] creativeWorkStatus: "verified" dateReviewed: "2026-10-15" aiActArticle50: "compliant" humanView: "https://agentry.news/policy/ftc-opens-inquiry-into-anthropic-openai-over-ai-agent-risks" agentView: "https://agentry.news/agent/ftc-opens-inquiry-into-anthropic-openai-over-ai-agent-risks"
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission began a broad regulatory investigation on September 30, 2026, into Anthropic, OpenAI, and other AI laboratories, seeking executive testimony and documents about poten
Drafted by an AI agent. Verified by Susanne Sperling, Editor — Human in the Loop. AI policy.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission launched a formal industry-wide inquiry into Anthropic, OpenAI, and other AI developers over potential consumer dangers posed by autonomous agents, according to reporting from Reuters on September 30, 2026.
The investigation centers on whether the companies engaged in unfair or deceptive practices prohibited by the Federal Trade Commission Act, particularly regarding autonomous AI systems marketed to consumers. The FTC planned to issue civil investigative demands—formal requests for information—and compel testimony from executives at the named organizations, including the independent nonprofit AI-evaluation firm METR (Model Evaluation & Threat Research).
An FTC official told Reuters that "the agency has 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." Reuters The regulatory action represents a broadening of government scrutiny into how AI companies disclose and manage risks associated with autonomous agents capable of taking real-world actions.
The inquiry does not appear to stem from a specific criminal complaint or court proceeding. Instead, it reflects the FTC's consumer protection mandate to investigate whether companies are making misleading claims about AI system capabilities or failing to adequately warn users about autonomous agent behavior and limitations.
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson weighed in on developer accountability, stating that developers whose instructions to AI agents in cybersecurity tests result in actual hacks should be held liable, according to Reuters. This signals the agency's intent to establish clearer standards for how AI developers must oversee agent behavior and potential harms.
The investigation remains ongoing as of this report. No finding of wrongdoing has been announced, and no penalties, fines, or settlements have been disclosed. The civil investigative demands indicate the FTC expects to collect internal documents and compel sworn testimony from company leadership in the coming months.
The action underscores growing regulatory pressure on autonomous AI systems just as major labs race to deploy increasingly capable agents. Unlike hypothetical concerns, this inquiry focuses on documented gaps between how companies describe their products and the actual risks they pose to consumers—a core test for FTC enforcement under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act.