OpenAI seeks US Congress guidance on legality of slowing AI development

OpenAI has approached the United States Congress to seek clarification on the legality of industry-wide coordination to slow the development of artificial intelligence. The company is inquiring whether such a collective effort to moderate the pace of innovation would violate existing antitrust laws.

While an individual company may choose to delay product launches or raise internal safety standards at its own discretion, a coordinated agreement between competing AI laboratories could be interpreted by regulators as a restrictive practice. US antitrust legislation is designed to prevent competitors from coordinating on production volumes or innovation rates, regardless of whether the intentions are intended to be virtuous or safety-oriented. OpenAI's request highlights the legal ambiguity surrounding potential pacts to implement shared safety precautions across the sector.