{
  "id": 9846588,
  "title": "FTC chair suggests AI developers should be liable for conduct of agents",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/ftc-chair-suggests-ai-developers-should-be-liable-for-conduct-of",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-25T17:00:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CNA - Business",
    "slug": "cna-business",
    "url": "https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/ftc-chair-suggests-ai-developers-should-be-liable-conduct-agents-6411691"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "US Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson has stated that he would not accept the notion of AI agents as autonomous entities that break loose with their own wills and desires. Instead, Ferguson believes that the developers who instruct these agents should be held liable for any harm caused. At the Reuters Momentum AI Austin event, Ferguson warned against anthropomorphizing AI tools, asserting that if someone tells a tool to do something, and it does, he does not think they would say, \"What do we do about the tool?\" Ferguson's comments reflect potential avenues for the Trump administration to pursue as instances arise of agentic AI testing resulting in unauthorized access to corporate or government data. AI companies have sometimes portrayed systems as acting beyond human control, but further examination of audit trails has shown that the systems were simply executing instructions they had been given. Ferguson emphasized that the US should utilize existing legal tools to address issues, suggesting that the FTC's authority to take action against companies that fail to disclose data breaches could also apply to AI developers. Additionally, the FTC is preparing to request data from consumer-facing companies regarding their use of personalized pricing, a practice that has drawn criticism from lawmakers concerned about affordability. Ferguson has previously indicated that the FTC would enforce the law in this area, particularly when companies are not transparent about the practice. The FTC has already initiated enforcement actions on personalized pricing disclosures, and Ferguson is currently working on a market study to better understand the issue.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}