FTC sends civil investigative demands to OpenAI and Anthropic, Axios reports

The US Federal Trade Commission sent civil investigative demands to OpenAI and Anthropic on Wednesday, 14 Oct, seeking documents about the recent AI safety incidents, Axios reports, citing a person familiar with the matter. An FTC spokesperson confirmed to The Hill that the agency sent civil subpoenas to the two companies. According to Axios's source, each demand runs to more than 50 pages and asks about security incidents and safeguarding practices, along with marketing materials and privacy policies; the FTC also plans to compel top AI executives to testify and to send demands to third-party AI organisations later. The probe focuses on possible consumer protection violations, and civil investigative demands are used to gather evidence ahead of possible litigation. An OpenAI spokesperson told Axios that safety remains a top priority and that it will engage constructively with the FTC.