FTC sends OpenAI and Anthropic civil demands over AI safety incidents
The Federal Trade Commission has sent civil investigative demands to OpenAI and Anthropic seeking documents on safety incidents, safeguards, marketing and privacy, CBS News confirmed, weeks after the agency said it was probing AI labs over consumer risks.
AI-assisted · US Brief desk · Sources listed below
What happened
The Federal Trade Commission has issued civil investigative demands — subpoena-like document requests — to OpenAI and Anthropic as part of a consumer-protection probe into AI safety incidents, a spokesperson confirmed to CBS News. Axios first reported the demands, citing a person familiar with the matter, and said each request runs to more than 50 pages.
Why it matters
Civil investigative demands are how the FTC gathers evidence before deciding whether to sue. They arrive as labs disclose agent mishaps and as the Trump administration's Super Intelligence Force has pushed faster incident reporting after government-system misuse cases.
More context
What the agency wants: According to Axios, the demands seek records on security incidents and safeguarding practices, plus marketing materials and privacy policies. The same account said the FTC plans to compel testimony from executives at the two labs and at evaluator METR, and to send demands to other AI organizations later. CBS said the agency declined further comment beyond confirming the CIDs.
Company response: "As we improve our models and they increasingly help people in their day-to-day lives, safety remains a top priority," an OpenAI spokesperson told Axios. "We will engage constructively with the FTC." Anthropic did not immediately offer a detailed public response in the CBS and Axios accounts.
Timeline: This summer the FTC opened a broader look at AI consumer risks. On Sept. 30, the agency confirmed an industry probe of OpenAI, Anthropic and other labs. On Oct. 15, Axios and CBS reported the CIDs had gone out. Separately, a group of state attorneys general sued OpenAI under consumer-protection laws the same week, Axios noted — a related but distinct track.
What's still unknown: Whether the FTC will file a complaint; which other companies get demands; and what documents the labs produce. A CID is not a finding that either company broke the law.
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Editorial sourcing notes
Updated Oct. 17, 2026: CBS News confirmed the CIDs; Axios first reported details citing a person familiar with the matter. Demands are investigative tools, not findings of wrongdoing.
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