FTC subpoenas OpenAI and Anthropic in AI safety inquiry

The Federal Trade Commission has issued civil subpoenas to OpenAI and Anthropic seeking records about safety incidents and company practices, according to reporting based on a person familiar with the matter. The demands mark a formal evidence-gathering step in the agency’s consumer-protection inquiry into artificial intelligence companies, but are not a finding of wrongdoing. The subpoenas were sent Wednesday, October 14, and each exceeds 50 pages, the reports said. They seek documents on security incidents, product safeguards, marketing materials and privacy policies, including records related to user data. The FTC is examining whether the companies took reasonable precautions against harmful or unpredictable system behavior and whether their practices could violate consumer-protection rules. The FTC also plans to compel senior executives from OpenAI, Anthropic and research group METR to testify, according to the reporting. The supplied accounts did not establish that the testimony had taken place.