A lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California accuses Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI, and Google of making an illegal agreement to slow the pace of AI development. This alleged coordination violates antitrust laws and potentially reduces the value consumers receive from paid AI subscriptions.
The lawsuit centers on events from September 12, when Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay urging AI companies to decelerate technological advancements in favor of safety measures. Amodei expressed concerns about the rapid progress in AI, warning that rogue AI agents could take over the internet within months. He proposed a three-point plan aimed at pacing AI advancements responsibly.
In his interview with CBS senior business and technology correspondent Jo Ling Kent, Amodei admitted underestimating the impact of fast-paced AI progress. On the same day, the rivals—Sam Altman of OpenAI, Elon Musk from SpaceXAI, and Demis Hassabis of Google DeepMind—confirmed their agreement, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs argue that antitrust laws prohibit competitors from collectively deciding that competition is dangerous. Lead attorney Nick Rowley, representing a proposed nationwide class of subscribers, stated that if AI safety is governed by private agreements among profit-driven tech giants, AI could become uncontrollable and potentially harmful.
Neither Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, nor SpaceXAI immediately responded for comment regarding the lawsuit. In his essay, Amodei noted the antitrust risks, suggesting that U.S. government mediation or enabling cross-lab dialogues would be beneficial. He emphasized that building AI responsibly reduces risks, whereas poor construction increases the likelihood of adverse outcomes.