Ferguson Says AI Agents Are Tools, Not Actors - Forkast.News

Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson said that autonomous AI agents are tools rather than actors, and that developers bear the liability, according to a report by Forkast.news. Ferguson made the remarks at the Reuters Momentum AI conference in Austin on September 25. According to the report, the statement is a policy position rather than a formal rule. The report frames the remarks as Ferguson's position on where liability rests when autonomous agents act.

The report states that there is currently no distinct FTC liability framework for autonomous agents. It notes that Connecticut's AI Responsibility Act takes effect on October 1. Ferguson's remarks were made at the Reuters Momentum AI conference in Austin on September 25, according to the report. No formal rule accompanies the position, the report states.

The article reports Ferguson's position as the FTC chair's stated view on autonomous agents and liability rather than as a formal rule. It states that no distinct FTC liability framework for autonomous agents currently exists. The report also cites Connecticut's AI Responsibility Act, which takes effect on October 1. Both the FTC remarks and the Connecticut law are presented in the report as developments concerning AI liability policy.