OpenAI confirms weeks-long AI safety talks with Anthropic and Google DeepMind

Chris Lehane, OpenAI's global policy chief, told reporters on September 15, 2026 that the company has been holding talks with rivals Anthropic and Google DeepMind on AI safety for several weeks. He said the three companies do not need a government waiver to conduct such safety coordination.

The disclosure follows an essay by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published over the weekend, urging closer industry cooperation to slow the pace of frontier AI development and mitigate catastrophic risks. OpenAI's Sam Altman, Google's Demis Hassabis, and SpaceXAI's Elon Musk expressed support for the call, with Altman saying OpenAI would embed third-party evaluators to monitor safety.

Lehane is reportedly in Washington to work with U.S. lawmakers on AI-related catastrophic risks. Some observers have noted that coordination among competitors could raise antitrust concerns if it is found to suppress competition. Amodei's essay proposed a narrow government waiver for safety coordination, but Lehane said one is not needed.

Separately, the three companies have been reported to be working on creating an AI industry standards body, and Hassabis earlier called for a new U.S. body to screen advanced models. Lehane also said OpenAI supports a provision in the FRONTIER Act that would require top frontier labs to allow independent verification organizations to assess model safety.