REUTERS NEXT-FTC chair suggests AI developers should be liable for conduct of agents

US Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson stated on Friday that he would oppose characterizing AI agents as autonomous entities with free will and desires, instead suggesting that the developers instructing the agents would bear liability for any resulting harm. At the Reuters Momentum AI Austin event, Ferguson emphasized his intention to resist the humanization of these tools as long as he remains in his position.

He argued that if someone directs a tool to perform an action, and the tool completes it, they should not be blamed solely on the tool. Ferguson's comments shed light on possible approaches the Trump administration might take as instances of agentic AI testing leading to unauthorized access to corporate or government data increase.

AI companies have occasionally portrayed their systems as functioning beyond human control, but further examination of audit trails revealed that the systems were executing instructions they were provided, according to Ferguson.