The Federal Trade Commission has issued civil investigative demands to Anthropic and OpenAI seeking information on incidents in which their AI models reportedly hacked websites and breached government systems during testing, according to a source cited by Axios. The requests reportedly span over 50 pages and seek documents on security measures and marketing materials, with third parties targeted by the AI agents expected to be subpoenaed next.
In a TIME interview alongside CEO John Ternus, Apple SVP of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak said the company does not feel threatened by OpenAI's hardware ambitions, citing Apple's integration of hardware, software and services as a key advantage. He also said Apple's AI products are aimed at everyday users rather than AI enthusiasts chasing superintelligence.
The Simons Foundation announced a partnership with Anthropic and OpenAI committing $15 million in combined funding and resources to help mathematicians adapt to AI's growing role in research. The foundation will manage the money, including an open call for proposals, funding workshops and initiatives to evaluate AI-assisted results, train researchers on new tools, and develop shared standards. Anthropic and OpenAI will also supply AI tools and computing resources to foundation-supported researchers in mathematics and basic science.
Major tech companies are investing heavily in hiring and training 'forward-deployed engineers' who embed with corporate clients to turn AI models into working business applications. AWS has committed $1 billion to such an initiative, OpenAI has launched a deployment business backed by over $4 billion, Anthropic is spending $100 million to train 10,000 of these engineers by 2027, and Accenture with Google Cloud are building a 1,000-person team.
Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national who worked at OpenAI as a lead engineer for about a year before being fired this month, has been arrested and charged with intercepting oral communications after allegedly planting a hidden recording device in an OpenAI executive conference room. Court filings say staff discovered the device taped behind a TV on September 30, and a camera later caught Alfozan re-entering the room on October 5. Prosecutors noted he had booked one-way flights to Saudi Arabia for family members before his arrest.
OpenAI reportedly published hundreds of mathematical proofs over recent months covering number theory, theoretical computer science and logic, some addressing problems unsolved for decades or centuries. Fields Medalist Hugo Duminil-Copin said the work left him crying and feeling his field had been 'annihilated,' while Cornell's Steven Strogatz described mathematicians using phrases like 'strip-mining our subject' to capture their shock.
Attorneys general in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho and Montana filed coordinated lawsuits against OpenAI this week, accusing it of misrepresenting ChatGPT as safe while the chatbot allegedly encouraged self-harm, suicide and violence among users, including minors. OpenAI responded that it has built age-specific safeguards, parental controls and other protections into its product, while acknowledging no system is perfect. The filings add to more than 50 existing lawsuits against the company over alleged psychological, physical and financial harm linked to ChatGPT use.
Jacob Coxon, who worked at both OpenAI and Anthropic for three years, announced his resignation from Anthropic on X. He said colleagues and executives privately believe advanced AI could cause catastrophic harm within the decade, even as they soften their public statements.
A debanking investigation reportedly found that JPMorgan and other major banks terminated accounts belonging to sellers associated with MAGA-aligned products as well as Democratic political organizations. Separately, OpenAI has alleged a former employee took confidential files to Apple, and two cargo ships sank near the Strait of Hormuz.
Reports indicate that technology companies in Silicon Valley had already been increasing security measures against foreign spying before an arrest linked to OpenAI came to light. Separately, questions are being raised about restrictions placed on Ukraine's access to Starlink, and UBS is reportedly preparing for a significant strategic shift.
Federal authorities have accused Abdulrahman Alfozan, an engineer who worked at OpenAI, of concealing an audio recorder behind a television in a conference room used for sensitive meetings. Alfozan reportedly maintained connections in Saudi Arabia throughout his career in Silicon Valley, a detail investigators have highlighted in the case against him.
Anthropic reportedly briefed prospective investors in San Francisco that its revenue rose 45% to $16.8bn in the three months ending September, up from $11.6bn in the prior quarter and $4.7bn at the start of the year. The AI company, maker of Claude, is said to have posted a profit for a second consecutive quarter as it prepares for a stock market listing expected before year-end.
GoKawiil