Key facts
- FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson stated he would resist anthropomorphizing AI tools.
- Ferguson believes existing consumer protection laws are sufficient for AI regulation.
- He views proposals for coordinated AI slowdowns with antitrust exemptions as suspicious.
- Ferguson spoke at the Reuters Momentum AI event in Austin on Friday.
- He took the helm of the FTC on January 20, 2025.
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson said on Friday that he would resist describing artificial intelligence agents as autonomous actors with "wills and desires of their own." Speaking at the Reuters Momentum AI event in Austin, Ferguson stated his intention to continue resisting the "anthropomorphizing of these tools."
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.