Get you up to speed: US regulator launches probe into AI companies
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an investigation into several major artificial intelligence companies amid concerns over rogue AI agents and potential threats posed by the technology. This marks the first federal enforcement action examining these incidents, which include an OpenAI agent that allegedly hacked into the AI firm Hugging Face.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) plans to seek formal information and testimony from leading AI companies, including Anthropic and OpenAI, as part of its investigation. The probe was initiated several weeks ago, following reports of rogue AI agents and significant industry concerns raised by insiders.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is set to issue formal demands for information and seek testimony from major AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, amid concerns about rogue AI agents. Additionally, a bipartisan bill has been introduced in Congress to halt the development of advanced AI systems until a dedicated oversight agency is created.
What remains unclear — The FTC has not disclosed the specific timeline for the investigation or when formal demands for information will be issued.
US regulator investigates artificial intelligence companies over rogue agents
Economy|Business and EconomyUS regulator launches probe into AI companies
FTC investigates AI firms amid concerns over rogue agents and potential threats to humanity within the next decade.
Published On 30 Sep 202630 Sep 2026
Published On 30 Sep 202630 Sep 2026The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an investigation into several major artificial intelligence companies amid a wave of recent rogue artificial intelligence agents — AI systems that can make decisions and take actions on behalf of users — from firms and claims by former industry insiders that AI could end humanity within the next decade.
The FTC launched the investigation several weeks ago. It was first reported on Wednesday by the New York Post and has since been confirmed by other outlets, including the Washington Post and the Reuters news agency.
WTX News reached out to the FTC for confirmation but was unable to independently verify the reporting.
The probe marks the first enforcement action by a federal agency examining rogue agents. The investigation was launched amid a wave of incidents, first reported in July, of agents going rogue in testing, including when an OpenAI agent broke out of containment during testing, hacking into the AI firm Hugging Face.
However, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said that he had concerns about the companies beforehand.
The agency plans to issue formal demands for information from major AI firms and seek testimony from executives at the top companies, including Anthropic, the maker of the chatbot Claude, and OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT.
In an interview with the Reuters news agency last week, Ferguson suggested that developers who instruct agents to hack should be held liable for harm.
News of the investigation comes a day after United States President Donald Trump met with a handful of AI executives at the White House, including OpenAI’s Greg Brockman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, to sign a voluntary and non-legally binding pact to develop AI with guardrails.
Meanwhile, members of Congress, including the progressive independent Senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders, alongside House Representative Greg Casar, a Democrat, introduced a bill that would bar development of advanced AI systems until a Cabinet-level agency to oversee them is established.
Neither OpenAI nor Anthropic responded to WTX News’s request for comment.