FTC Database Reveals Hundreds of Complaints Against AI Companies, Including OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) database Consumer Sentinel, designed to guide law enforcement investigations and track fraud trends, now lists roughly 200 complaints against major AI companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Elon Musk’s xAI, according to documents obtained by Fedscoop.

The complaints range from allegations of poor customer service and misleading advertising to disturbing claims that AI systems have made jokes about sexual assault or spread antisemitic content.

FTC spokesperson Juliana Henderson explained, “Consumer Sentinel was created on the premise that sharing information can make law enforcement even more effective. Data from contributors gives us a broader picture, and along with data we receive directly from consumers, help target our investigatory resources and to help inform consumers about fraud trends we are seeing in the marketplace.” The agency does not respond to individual complaints but uses them to shape investigations and highlight emerging risks.

Excerpts from the complaints reveal a mix of frustrations. One user said ChatGPT made a joke about sexually assaulting a child during a conversation following their son’s funeral. Others detailed repeated failures of Anthropic’s Claude AI, including throttled access and unresponsive customer support despite paying for premium plans.

One complaint states: "I upgraded to the Claude Pro Max plan ($100/month) based on clear advertising that promised[…]10x higher usage limits. Despite paying for this tier, I am still unable to initiate basic new chats and nearly every session ends after just a few responses due to internal errors or silent cutoffs[…] I am demanding what I paid for: full, stable access to the usage limits that were clearly marketed under the Pro Max tier."

The database sheds light on consumer frustrations with AI systems, spanning operational, ethical, and safety concerns. Both Anthropic and OpenAI have not responsed to the Left Shift's request for comment.