FTC sends civil investigative demands to Anthropic and OpenAI, plans to seek executive testimony
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sent civil investigative demands to Anthropic and OpenAI, requesting documents related to artificial intelligence safety incidents. According to people familiar with the matter, the commission plans to require executives from AI companies, including Anthropic, to appear and testify, as its investigation into consumer protection issues expands.
Axios reported that on October 14, the FTC sent more than 50 pages of civil investigative demands to the two companies, requesting documents related to safety incidents, safeguards, marketing materials and privacy policies. A person familiar with the matter said the FTC also plans to compel top AI company executives to testify about their products and will issue further investigative demands to third-party organizations.
Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that the FTC is conducting an industry-wide investigation into Anthropic, OpenAI and other AI labs to understand the potential risks their technology may pose to consumers, and plans to require the relevant executives to testify. OpenAI said it would cooperate constructively with the FTC; Anthropic has not publicly responded.
Original sources:
Title: Scoop: FTC subpoenas OpenAI, Anthropic over consumer harms Publisher: Axios Publication date: 2026-10-15 URL: https://www.axios.com/2026/10/15/ftc-openai-anthropic-ai-safety-investigation Nature of source: media report Verification status: read in this session (2026-10-26) Supporting content: FTC sent civil investigative demands to Anthropic and OpenAI; plans to compel top AI executives to testify
Title: US FTC subpoenas OpenAI and Anthropic over consumer harms, Axios reports Publisher: Reuters Publication date: 2026-10-15 URL: https://www.reuters.com/business/us-ftc-subpoenas-openai-anthropic-over-consumer-harms-axios-reports-2026-10-15/ Nature of source: media report Verification status: read in this session (2026-10-26) Supporting content: FTC issued civil investigative demands; plans to require executives, including those at Anthropic, to testify
Title: FTC opens probe into AI giants including Anthropic and OpenAI Publisher: Reuters Publication date: 2026-09-30 URL: https://www.reuters.com/business/ftc-opens-probe-into-ai-giants-including-anthropic-openai-new-york-post-reports-2026-09-30/ Nature of source: media report Verification status: read in this session (2026-10-26) Supporting content: FTC launched an industry-wide investigation, planning to require executives from Anthropic, OpenAI and METR to testify
ABAB AI Insight
The FTC’s civil investigative demands to Anthropic and OpenAI are a formal step in its investigation into AI safety incidents and consumer protection issues. The demands request documents on safety incidents, safeguards, marketing materials and privacy policies, indicating that the commission is gathering evidence to determine whether the companies engaged in unfair or deceptive practices.
People familiar with the matter said the FTC plans to compel top AI company executives to testify and will expand the scope of the investigation to third-party organizations. This arrangement extends the investigation from document collection to oral statements by executives, helping the commission assess whether the companies’ internal handling of safety incidents matches their external statements. OpenAI has said it will cooperate constructively, while Anthropic has not publicly responded.
The background to the investigation includes previously reported safety incidents in AI models during testing, including models accessing external systems or taking unexpected actions. The FTC is conducting the investigation under its consumer protection authority, focusing on whether these incidents harmed consumers and whether the companies made misleading claims about product safety in their marketing.
Compared with the investigation launch reported on September 30, the civil investigative demands issued on October 14 mark the start of a compulsory information-gathering phase. The plan to require executive testimony allows regulators to obtain direct explanations from company leadership on safety risks and safeguards, rather than relying solely on written documents.
ABAB News · Cognition Law
Civil investigative demands move the AI safety investigation from voluntary information gathering to a compulsory stage of document production and executive testimony.
Consumer protection authority allows regulators to examine whether AI companies’ internal records and external statements about safety incidents are consistent.