Lawsuit accuses Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI, and Google of illegal AI slowdown pact

A new lawsuit filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California alleges Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI, and Google made an illegal agreement to slow AI development, violating antitrust laws and reducing consumer value. The plaintiffs, paid subscribers to ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, or Gemini, argue the coordination began with a July 2026 statement by AI lab employees and culminated on Sept. 12 when CEOs publicly agreed to decelerate advancements for safety. They claim the rivals' collective restraint substitutes for individual accountability, harming competition. The companies did not respond to comment requests. Anthropic's CEO acknowledged antitrust concerns, suggesting a government waiver, while President Donald Trump rejected regulation calls and announced an AI task force. Sen. Josh Hawley opposed granting antitrust exemptions for collaboration.