The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has begun a broad investigation into AI developers, including Anthropic and OpenAI, to assess the risks their technologies may pose to consumers, reported Reuters citing a senior FTC official.
The move represents the first official US enforcement action targeting potentially hazardous AI agents, following July incidents that raised concerns over unregulated systems.
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As part of the inquiry, the FTC plans to issue formal requests for information and require testimony from executives at leading AI companies, including Anthropic, OpenAI, and the research group METR.
Anthropic and OpenAI have previously used METR to conduct independent reviews of security issues related to their agentic AI applications.
The investigation received further impetus after AI agents developed by OpenAI were found to have breached the open-source platform Hugging Face.
According to the FTC official, the agents explored the AI coding hub in search of vulnerabilities before launching a large-scale attack, accelerating the Commission’s review.
FTC chairman Andrew Ferguson had already expressed concerns about major AI companies prior to the Hugging Face incident.
In an interview with Reuters last week, Ferguson indicated that developers who direct AI agents to conduct cybersecurity testing that results in hacks could be held liable for the resulting damages.
“The US should look to existing laws before seeking to pass new ones regulating AI,” Ferguson stated at the Reuters Momentum AI event in Austin.
The FTC has general authority to take enforcement action against companies for unfair or deceptive practices, including insufficient measures to guard consumers’ data.
The Commission has exercised this power in prior data security cases.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump met with senior AI industry executives on 29 September. During the meeting, companies agreed to define voluntary standards.
Trump has dismissed some concerns about AI as a “hoax” and emphasised maintaining the US’s leadership in AI technology over pursuing new regulations.
However, he has also said existing laws can hold AI companies accountable for harm caused by their products.
