FTC chair pushes back on treating AI agents as independent actors

Ferguson noted that AI companies have sometimes described systems as acting beyond human control, but subsequent reviews of audit trails have shown that these systems were carrying out instructions they had been given. He believes that artificial intelligence tools are consumer products and that the FTC's existing consumer protection laws are sufficient to police AI companies, without the need for a new, expansive regulatory framework.

Ferguson, who took the helm of the Federal Trade Commission on January 20, 2025, has advocated for an "enforcement-first" approach. He has previously expressed skepticism towards proposals that combine new regulations with antitrust exemptions, calling them "deeply suspicious" and arguing they could function as barriers to entry for new companies. His remarks at Georgetown University on September 15, 2026, specifically targeted proposals from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei for coordinated slowdowns in AI model development.