GoKawiilEx-DOJ Antitrust Chief Kanter Rejects AI Industry's Push for Safety Exemption
On The Verge's Decoder podcast, former DOJ antitrust chief Jonathan Kanter discussed AI companies' requests for antitrust exemptions to jointly coordinate on safety, amid growing alarm from researchers at Anthropic and Google DeepMind who have quit citing unheeded safety risks. Kanter, who led major antitrust actions against Google, Apple, and Ticketmaster under Biden, weighed in on whether such exemptions represent legitimate safety collaboration or a bid for regulatory capture and cartel-like behavior.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The debate highlights tension between AI firms' claims of existential risk and skepticism that safety concerns are being used to dodge competitive pressures ahead of IPOs. Notably, even ideological opposites like libertarian David Sacks and progressive antitrust advocate Lina Khan agree that carving out antitrust exemptions for AI labs is unnecessary and potentially dangerous for market competition.
- AI researchers at top labs have publicly resigned over unaddressed safety concerns.
- AI CEOs are requesting antitrust exemptions to coordinate safety efforts, raising cartel concerns.
- Unlikely political allies, including Sacks and Khan, oppose granting AI firms antitrust exemptions.
Source: theverge.com — Nilay Patel, 2026-09-19
Published there as: “Does AI need an antitrust exemption so it doesn’t kill everyone????”
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