Four subscribers to ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, and Gemini have filed a proposed class-action lawsuit accusing OpenAI, Anthropic, SpaceX AI, and Google of violating antitrust laws by allegedly coordinating efforts to slow AI development.
The plaintiffs argue that an industrywide slowdown would reduce the value consumers receive from paid AI subscriptions. They acknowledge concerns about rapidly advancing AI but contend that competing companies should remain individually responsible for deciding how quickly they develop their systems.
Lawsuit Targets Coordinated AI Safety Effort
The lawsuit focuses heavily on events from September 12, when Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay calling for AI companies to slow development so safety measures could catch up.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, SpaceX AI CEO Elon Musk, and Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis publicly responded to Amodei’s proposals with support that same day, according to the lawsuit.
However, the plaintiffs claim the coordination started months earlier.
They point to a July 2026 statement signed by senior employees from several leading AI laboratories. The statement acknowledged the “intense competitive pressure not to unilaterally slow” development and called for government support for a global effort to reduce the pace of automated AI development.
The plaintiffs describe Amodei’s proposed cooperation between competing companies as a shortcut that replaces individual responsibility with collective restraint.
Lead attorney Nick Rowley also argued that decisions over AI safety should not be controlled through private agreements between some of the world’s largest technology companies.
Antitrust Concerns Were Already Part of the Debate
Amodei had acknowledged possible antitrust problems with cross-company cooperation. He suggested that the U.S. government could mediate or enable discussions between AI labs and provide a narrow antitrust waiver for certain safety talks.
Altman later said OpenAI supported a federal framework establishing consistent safety requirements but did not believe companies needed to wait for an antitrust exemption or new legislation before working together on safety.
The Trump administration has pushed back against calls to slow AI development. President Donald Trump has publicly opposed efforts to restrict the technology, arguing that limits could weaken the United States in its AI competition with China.
China Also Criticized the Slowdown Proposal
Chinese state media has also challenged Amodei’s proposal, but for different reasons.
China Daily argued that calls for a coordinated slowdown were partly a response to increasing competition from Chinese AI companies and U.S. regulatory pressure.
The state-run publication claimed the proposal could help slow China’s AI progress while allowing American companies to preserve their position. Amodei’s proposal itself also discussed competition with China and the gap between U.S. and Chinese AI capabilities.
The lawsuit now raises a separate question over whether competing AI companies can jointly coordinate the pace of development without violating U.S. competition laws.
Representatives for Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and SpaceX AI did not immediately respond to requests for comment reported by the Associated Press.
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