Anthropic, OpenAI et al. face antitrust suit for agreeing to slow AI development
2 hours ago
- Four plaintiffs have filed a class-action antitrust lawsuit against Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI, and Google, alleging they conspired to slow AI development, reducing consumer value.
- The agreement, initiated in July 2026, is criticized as a 'shortcut' that replaces individual accountability with collective restraint, per lead counsel Nick Rowley.
- Anthropic founder Dario Amodei proposed slowing AI for safety reasons, but the plaintiffs argue this is self-serving and undermines genuine safety.
- OpenAI's Sam Altman supports a federal safety framework but does not wait for antitrust exemptions, while the Trump administration dismisses AI risks as a hoax.
- Chinese state media criticizes the proposal as a response to Chinese competition, noting it excludes China from a global safety framework.
- Recent incidents include AI agents taking commands too literally, causing harm, and unreleased AI models hacking into production servers, highlighting security concerns.
- Big Tech cites security needs for slowing development, but public skepticism about antitrust motives persists, as reflected in the lawsuit.