Washington skeptical of AI antitrust waiver for safety standard

Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei has urged Congress to grant an antitrust waiver that would allow AI firms to collaborate on a unified safety standard. The proposal has drawn sharp skepticism from Washington lawmakers, who are wary of entrusting the development of critical safety protocols to the very companies that dominate the industry.

The call comes amid a long record of stalled AI regulation in the U.S. Congress, where bipartisan efforts to establish clear rules for artificial‑intelligence development and deployment have repeatedly failed to gain traction. Several lawmakers have expressed concern that an industry‑led safety framework could sidestep public oversight and give tech giants disproportionate influence over how safety is defined and enforced.

As the debate continues, legislators are pushing for a more transparent, government‑led approach to AI governance, while industry leaders argue that collaboration is essential to address technical risks quickly. The outcome of this impasse will shape the trajectory of AI policy and the balance between innovation and regulation in the coming years.