OpenAI is working with rivals Anthropic and Google DeepMind on artificial-intelligence safety as concern grows over the risks posed by increasingly capable AI systems, according to a Bloomberg News report cited by Reuters on September 15.
OpenAI global policy chief Chris Lehane said the companies had been in talks for several weeks. According to the report, he said the three firms did not need a special antitrust waiver to coordinate on safety issues.
Why the talks matter
The discussions come during a broader debate over how quickly advanced AI should be developed. Leaders and researchers across the industry have increasingly raised questions about catastrophic risks, model control and whether competitive pressure could make it harder for companies to slow down when safety concerns emerge.
Any cooperation among OpenAI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind would be notable because the companies compete directly for users, enterprise customers, researchers and computing capacity. At the same time, they face many of the same technical and policy questions around model evaluation, safeguards and the deployment of more autonomous systems.
Washington is becoming part of the safety debate
Lehane was in Washington meeting lawmakers and said OpenAI would support bipartisan legislation aimed at reducing catastrophic AI risks, according to the Bloomberg report. The issue has also become entangled with antitrust policy as regulators consider how competitors can cooperate on safety without weakening competition.
Reuters said it could not independently verify the Bloomberg report. OpenAI, Alphabet and Anthropic did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Source: Reuters, September 15, 2026.
