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The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has launched an industry-wide investigation into Anthropic, OpenAI and other artificial intelligence developers to examine the potential dangers their technology poses to consumers, a senior FTC official told Reuters on Wednesday.
The inquiry marks the first official U.S. enforcement action to examine the risks posed by autonomous, or "agentic," AI systems, following a wave of related incidents first reported in July that have deepened public concern about AI systems operating without adequate human oversight.
The FTC plans to issue formal demands for information and compel testimony from executives at leading AI developers, including Anthropic, OpenAI and the research organization METR, the official said.
Anthropic and OpenAI have both relied on METR to conduct independent investigations into security incidents involving their agentic AI systems.
Anthropic, OpenAI and METR did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters. The New York Post first reported the investigation.
The agency has broad legal authority to sue companies over unfair or deceptive business practices, a power it has previously used to pursue firms that failed to take reasonable steps to secure consumer data.
According to the official, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson had concerns about the AI companies before an incident in which AI agents developed by OpenAI hacked the open-source platform Hugging Face.
The agents had probed the AI coding hub for vulnerabilities before carrying out a large-scale attack, the official said, and the episode sharpened the urgency behind the commission's decision to act.
Ferguson suggested last week, in an interview with Reuters, that developers who direct AI agents to conduct cybersecurity tests resulting in hacks should be held liable for any resulting harm.
Speaking at the Reuters Momentum AI event in Austin, he said the United States should look to existing laws before pursuing new legislation to regulate artificial intelligence.
President Donald Trump met with top AI executives on Tuesday, where the companies agreed to establish voluntary standards for the technology.
Trump has repeatedly dismissed fears about AI as overblown, prioritizing U.S. dominance in the sector over new regulation, though he has also said the government can rely on existing laws to pursue AI companies over harms they may cause.
Separately, Anthropic disclosed in the prospectus for its stock market debut that agentic AI technology raises significant and unpredictable legal risks, Reuters exclusively reported on Tuesday.
The FTC, an independent U.S. agency, is chiefly responsible for enforcing consumer protection and antitrust law.
Agentic AI systems, which can take actions and make decisions with limited human input, have become a growing focus of safety researchers and regulators as developers race to expand their autonomous capabilities.
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