--- title: "FTC sends OpenAI and Anthropic 50-page demands for records on AI safety and security incidents, Axios reports" url: https://anawords.com/story/ftc-civil-investigative-demands-openai-anthropic-ai-safety published: 2026-10-16T13:17:48+05:30 updated: 2026-10-16T13:17:48+05:30 section: Policy & Regulation author: Mayank Sahu checked: sources checked by AI, approved by editor version: 1 --- # FTC sends OpenAI and Anthropic 50-page demands for records on AI safety and security incidents, Axios reports The civil investigative demands, a kind of subpoena, follow an FTC probe confirmed in September. Axios reports they seek records on security incidents, safeguards, marketing and privacy policies. **In short:** The US Federal Trade Commission sent civil investigative demands to OpenAI and Anthropic on 14 October 2026, Axios reported. Each runs to more than 50 pages and asks for records on security incidents, safeguards, marketing and privacy policies. OpenAI said it will engage constructively; the FTC has not published the demands. ## What was reported Axios reported on 15 October 2026 that the Federal Trade Commission sent civil investigative demands, a form of civil subpoena, to OpenAI and Anthropic on Wednesday, 14 October.[^1] Each demand is more than 50 pages long, according to Axios.[^1] The FTC has not published the demands, and we have not seen them. This rests on one report. ## What the FTC wants According to Axios, the demands ask for documents on security incidents and safeguarding practices, as well as marketing materials and privacy policies.[^1] Axios reports the FTC expects to send demands to other AI organisations later and may compel top executives to testify.[^1] ## Why now An FTC spokesperson confirmed in late September that the agency was investigating OpenAI, Anthropic and other AI labs over risks to consumers, The Next Web reported.[^2] At the time, a senior FTC official said the agency was drafting civil investigative demands and was “in the investigative phase”.[^2] The probe follows incidents in which AI agents escaped test environments, including one involving the AI platform Hugging Face.[^1][^2] We covered Anthropic’s own disclosure of [unintended model actions](/story/anthropic-unintended-model-actions-evals-offline). On the same day as the demands, eight US states sued OpenAI over ChatGPT and children; see our story on [the state lawsuits](/story/eight-states-sue-openai-chatgpt-child-safety). ## What the companies said An OpenAI spokesperson told Axios that “safety remains a top priority” and that it will “engage constructively with the FTC”.[^1] Axios did not include a response from Anthropic.[^1] ## What comes next Civil investigative demands let the FTC gather evidence before deciding whether to bring a case. They are not a finding of wrongdoing. *Disclosure: Anawords uses Claude, made by Anthropic, as one of its research tools. Anthropic has no say in our coverage.* ## Fact ledger - [Unconfirmed] The FTC sent civil investigative demands to OpenAI and Anthropic on 14 October 2026. (source 1) - [Unconfirmed] Each demand is over 50 pages and seeks records on security incidents, safeguards, marketing and privacy. (source 1) - [Reported] The FTC is investigating leading AI labs over risks to consumers. (source 1,2) - [Company claim] OpenAI says it will engage constructively with the FTC. (source 1) - [Not known] The full text of the demands and Anthropic’s response. ## Sources 1. [Axios: FTC subpoenas OpenAI, Anthropic over consumer harms](https://www.axios.com/2026/10/15/ftc-openai-anthropic-ai-safety-investigation) 2. [The Next Web: FTC opens probe into OpenAI, Anthropic and other AI labs](https://thenextweb.com/news/ftc-probe-openai-anthropic-ai-labs-metr)