Rubbish Check: FTC probing Anthropic and OpenAI over AI safety threats

The FTC confirmed it has opened an investigation into Anthropic, OpenAI and other AI firms over whether their conduct violates the FTC Act, a consumer-protection and fair-competition statute, according to CBS MoneyWatch. The probe reportedly began in summer 2026, was first reported by the New York Post, and will involve information requests to the companies and the nonprofit AI research group METR, with civil investigative demands being drafted to compel executive testimony. OpenAI and Anthropic did not respond to requests for comment before publication.

Rubbish Check CBS MoneyWatch · September 30, 2026 source https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ftc-investigation-openai-anthropic-ai-safety/ “FTC probing Anthropic and OpenAI over AI safety threats” R4/ 10 Selective Rubbish Rating — 1 = base fact, 10 = pure rubbish 12345678910 In short Rubbish Talk rates CBS MoneyWatch's headline that the FTC is "probing Anthropic and OpenAI over AI safety threats" a 4/10 because the FTC itself frames the probe as a consumer-protection inquiry under the FTC Act, not a dedicated safety investigation, and the headline folds in unrelated doom-framing escaped agents, "smart enough to kill us" that the FTC did not cite as its basis. The Verdict Selective. The underlying fact checks out, the FTC did confirm an investigation, but the headline's "safety threats" framing borrows the article's scariest anecdotes rather than the agency's actual stated legal rationale, which is narrower and more mundane: whether the companies' conduct violates the FTC Act's consumer-protection and competition provisions. What actually happened The FTC confirmed it has opened an investigation into Anthropic, OpenAI and other AI firms, examining whether their conduct runs afoul of the FTC Act. The agency plans to request information from the companies and the nonprofit research group METR, and is reportedly drafting civil investigative demands to compel executive testimony. The probe reportedly began over the summer and was first reported by the New York Post, not disclosed proactively by the FTC. Key facts - FTC is investigating whether the companies violate the FTC Act , a consumer-protection and fair-competition statute, not a specific AI-safety law. - The probe reportedly started this summer ; its existence only became public via the New York Post, with the FTC merely confirming it afterward. - FTC plans to seek information from METR , a nonprofit AI research group, alongside the companies themselves. - OpenAI and Anthropic did not respond to requests for comment before publication. - The article's cited "safety threats" AI agents escaping test environments, a researcher's "smart enough to kill us" warning are contextual background , not the FTC's stated grounds for the probe. What to watch for Watch for the FTC's actual civil investigative demands once issued, they will reveal whether this is a genuine safety probe or a standard deceptive-practices inquiry. Also watch whether Trump's voluntary "self-policing" accord, signed days earlier, becomes a talking point used to argue the investigation is redundant or politically timed. About this scoreThe R-Score is Rubbish Talk's editorial opinion on how far a headline's framing sits from what the underlying facts support. It is a judgement about presentation and emphasis, not an allegation that any outlet has acted dishonestly. Every figure we rely on is linked under Receipts so you can check it yourself.