regulation5 articles
Anthropic Lets Outside Watchdog Move In — Literally
Anthropic has granted METR, an independent AI safety nonprofit, "employee-like access" to its internal systems and hardware, making it the first major AI lab to implement embedded third-party evaluators. Six METR employees are now working inside Anthropic's offices with access comparable to that of internal risk assessment teams, and can publish their findings without Anthropic's approval, though certain sensitive information may be redacted. Anthropic is calling on all frontier AI companies to adopt similar arrangements, while critics argue the model risks conflicts of interest and that stronger government regulation is needed instead.
FTC Subpoenas Anthropic and OpenAI While Trump Calls Safety Concerns a Hoax
The FTC has launched formal investigations into Anthropic and OpenAI, issuing extensive civil investigative demands seeking information about recent AI safety incidents, internal security measures, and potentially misleading marketing materials, with third parties affected by AI agents also set to be subpoenaed. FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson argues that existing consumer protection laws are sufficient to hold AI companies accountable, particularly for failing to promptly disclose security incidents. However, the probe's impact remains uncertain, as President Trump has dismissed AI safety concerns as a "hoax" and prioritises AI innovation, casting doubt on whether the FTC will pursue meaningful consequences under his administration.
Nobody Wants to Insure Your AI Disaster: The Coverage Gap Nobody Planned For
The insurance industry is growing increasingly wary of covering AI-related corporate liability, as harms such as deepfakes, misinformation, privacy violations, and discriminatory decisions don't fit neatly within existing insurance frameworks. Some insurers, like W. R. Berkley, are introducing explicit AI exclusions, while standardized policy language excluding generative AI harms is being adopted across a large portion of US property and casualty policies. RAND argues that developing a common taxonomy for AI incidents and clearer coverage notices are needed, and expects AI insurance to mature over time — but the current uncertainty could slow enterprise AI adoption.
I Asked 100 Companies For My Data. Several Deleted It Instead.
When a journalist filed over 100 data access requests under the California Consumer Privacy Act, they encountered widespread non-compliance, with some companies — like Crunchbase and BeenVerified — deleting their data instead of providing it, despite explicit instructions not to. Others, like Cash App, effectively refused to process requests through channels their own privacy policies listed as valid options. Consumer advocates and legal experts argue these failures highlight how current frameworks place too much burden on individuals and that stronger "data minimization" rules — limiting what companies can collect in the first place — would better protect consumers.
Three Phone Calls and America's AI Safety Order Was Dead
President Trump cancelled a planned executive order on AI safety at the last minute after phone calls from Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and former AI advisor David Sacks, who warned that the proposed measures could slow AI development and jeopardise America's competitive edge over China. The draft order would have established a voluntary system requiring AI companies to submit frontier models to federal agencies for safety testing up to 90 days before release. The order has been shelved for reworking, with critics inside the administration dismissing it as unnecessary fearmongering pushed by AI "doomers."