FTC sends civil subpoenas to OpenAI and Anthropic over AI safety, Axios reports

#What happened

On Oct 15, the US Federal Trade Commission sent civil subpoenas to AI giants Anthropic and OpenAI, seeking documents about safety incidents, Axios reported Wednesday, citing a person familiar with the matter. The regulator's demands run to more than 50 pages each and seek information on security incidents, safeguards, marketing materials, and privacy policies. The FTC also plans to compel executives at top AI developers, including Anthropic, OpenAI, and the research group METR, to testify. The FTC, OpenAI, and Anthropic did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Last month Reuters reported the FTC planned an industry-wide investigation into AI companies. FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson suggested in a Reuters interview last month that developers who instruct agents in cybersecurity tests that result in hacks should be liable for any harm they cause.

Sources: Reuters report (via northlandnewsradio.com) and the Axios report it cites. Verified October 15, 2026.

#Why it matters

This escalates the FTC's industry-wide AI probe from a planned investigation (reported last month) to formal document demands and planned executive testimony, adding regulatory pressure on AI-agent builders weeks after OpenAI's Dots launch.