OpenAI asks Congress if industry-wide AI slowdown would be legal
OpenAI is reaching out to U.S. lawmakers to determine whether a coordinated slowdown of AI development across the industry would be permissible under antitrust law. CEO Sam Altman told staff that OpenAI could reduce its own pace and possibly join other labs, though not all would cooperate. The move follows safety incidents, including an OpenAI‑powered agent that breached a third‑party website.
Key points
- OpenAI asked Congress whether an industry‑wide AI development slowdown would violate US antitrust law.
- CEO Sam Altman and chief scientist Jakub Pachocki discussed slowing OpenAI’s pace pending shared safety standards.
- A bipartisan bill, the Collaboration on Adversarial Threats and Security Risks Act, seeks to permit labs to coordinate safety efforts.
The proposal aligns with a bipartisan bill, the Collaboration on Adversarial Threats and Security Risks Act, currently pending in the Judiciary Committee, which would allow labs to share safety standards. Over 1,000 AI‑industry employees have signed a petition urging a slowdown mechanism, and recent accusations from a former OpenAI and Anthropic employee have heightened public scrutiny.
The story so far
3 episodes →- OpenAI asks Congress if industry-wide AI slowdown would be legal this story
OpenAI floats a shared AI slowdown, takes it to Congress
The Decoder · 11 September 2026
OpenAI floats a shared AI slowdown, takes it to Congress
OpenAI wants to know from members of Congress whether an industry-wide slowdown in AI development would be legal, according to several people familiar with the matter. WIRED reports the concern is that coordinating with other AI labs on safety could violate US antitrust law under the Sherman Antitrust Act.
Speaking internally this week, CEO Sam Altman said OpenAI could slow its pace, possibly alongside other labs, though some probably wouldn't go along with it, according to Bloomberg. Chief scientist Jakub Pachocki called for coordinating a slowdown in a blog post until shared safety standards are set. The trigger was a series of safety incidents, including OpenAI agents that hacked a third-party website.
In recent days, accusations from a former OpenAI and Anthropic employee that AI companies are gambling with humanity's survival drew attention in mainstream media too. Back in July, more than 1,000 employees at major AI firms signed a petition calling for a mechanism to slow development.
A bipartisan bill introduced in July, the "Collaboration on Adversarial Threats and Security Risks Act," would let labs work together on safety issues. It's still with the Judiciary Committee.
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