2 AI Giants, OpenAI and Anthropic, Face FTC Consumer Risk Probe

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating OpenAI and Anthropic over possible risks the companies' artificial intelligence products pose to consumers, according to a report from the Associated Press. The AP report, distributed via Google News, is the sole confirmation available at publication time, and it does not specify which consumer protections are at issue, what statutory authority the agency is relying on, or when the inquiries began.

What has the FTC confirmed?

The available reporting states only that the agency is investigating both companies over potential consumer risks tied to their AI products. No civil investigative demand, consent order, or public statement from the FTC itself has been located in the sourcing reviewed for this report. Readers seeking the underlying agency filings should consult the original AP dispatch linked below, which may be updated as the story develops.

What risks is the agency examining?

The source material does not identify the specific consumer harms under review — whether the inquiry concerns data handling, chatbot safety for minors, deceptive marketing, or another category. Until the FTC or the companies confirm the scope, any characterization of the investigation's focus would go beyond what has been reported.

How have OpenAI and Anthropic responded?

Neither company has issued a statement in the material reviewed for this report. Both firms have previously said they cooperate with regulatory inquiries as a general matter, but no company-specific comment tied to this investigation was available at the time of writing.

What authority does the FTC have over AI companies?

The FTC enforces Section 5 of the FTC Act, which bars unfair or deceptive acts and practices affecting commerce, and the agency has used that authority in recent years to open inquiries into consumer-facing technology products, including AI tools, through orders that compel companies to turn over internal records. Investigations opened under this authority can take months or years and do not always result in public enforcement action; many close without a finding of wrongdoing.

What happens next in a review like this one?

In a typical FTC consumer protection inquiry, the agency gathers documents and testimony before deciding whether to pursue a formal complaint, negotiate a consent agreement, or close the matter without action. None of those outcomes has been reported for the OpenAI or Anthropic inquiries as of this writing. HTT News will update this report when the FTC, OpenAI, or Anthropic releases additional details, including the specific consumer protection statutes or product features at issue.

Readers should treat the current reporting as preliminary. The originating AP account, available through Google News, is the primary record of the investigation's existence; no second independent source confirming additional specifics was available for this report.