OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind join forces on AI safety, but antitrust law blocks progress

OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind have been collaborating on AI safety for weeks, OpenAI's global policy chief revealed at a Washington briefing, amid growing calls for slower AI development and regulation. The collaboration aims to prioritize safety, but legal experts warn that coordinated development pauses could violate antitrust law, specifically the Sherman Act. Anthropic's CEO Dario Amodei has urged US government support to allow competitors to set common standards without antitrust repercussions. Some lawmakers have proposed legislation granting AI labs antitrust exemptions for safety cooperation, but the Trump administration remains skeptical, with FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson expressing "very strong doubts" about such exemptions, viewing them as potential barriers to new entrants.