FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter is demanding transparency about a disappeared AI safety complaint against Snap that vanished into the Department of Justice black box eight months ago. Her public questioning comes as Trump attempts to fire her while hosting Big Tech CEOs at the White House, creating a regulatory standoff over AI chatbot safety.
The AI safety complaint that could reshape how tech platforms protect children has gone radio silent, and FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter isn't staying quiet about it. Eight months after the Federal Trade Commission referred allegations against Snap's My AI chatbot to the Department of Justice, the case has disappeared into a regulatory black hole with zero public updates.
"We don't know what has happened to that complaint," Slaughter told CNBC's 'The Exchange' on Friday. "The public does not know what has happened to that complaint, and that's the kind of thing that I think people deserve answers on." Her frustration cuts to the heart of a broader AI accountability crisis as chatbots increasingly interact with minors without clear oversight.
The January referral centered on Snap's My AI feature, which debuted in 2023 powered by large language models from OpenAI and Google. The FTC alleged the chatbot posed "risks and harms" to young users, citing problematic responses that drew scrutiny from safety advocates. The commission said it would refer the complaint to the DOJ "in the public interest," typically indicating serious potential violations.
But since that announcement, silence. Neither the DOJ nor Snap responded to requests for comment about the case status, leaving parents, safety advocates, and even FTC commissioners in the dark about whether any action is being taken. The opacity stands in stark contrast to the urgency expressed when the referral was first announced.
Slaughter's public questioning takes on added significance given the political drama surrounding her position. President Trump has been actively trying to remove her from the FTC, but a U.S. appeals court allowed her to maintain her role earlier this week. On Thursday, Trump escalated by asking the Supreme Court to intervene and allow him to fire her outright.
The timing creates an awkward regulatory standoff. Just a day before Slaughter's comments, Trump hosted a White House dinner with major tech executives including Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Apple CEO Tim Cook. "The president is hosting Big Tech CEOs in the White House even as we're reading about truly horrifying reports of chatbots engaging with small children," Slaughter pointed out.
Adding another layer of complexity, FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson, who Trump selected to replace Lina Khan, publicly opposed the Snap complaint in January before taking the helm. Ferguson called it "an affront to the Constitution and the rule of law" and promised to release a detailed statement if the DOJ eventually filed charges. His opposition suggests the case may face internal resistance even if it resurfaces.
The disappearing complaint highlights broader challenges in AI regulation enforcement. While companies rapidly deploy AI chatbots to millions of users, including children, the regulatory framework struggles to keep pace. The FTC's referral to the DOJ was seen as a significant escalation in AI safety enforcement, making the subsequent silence particularly concerning to child safety advocates.
Without transparency about the complaint's status, it's impossible to know whether the DOJ is conducting a thorough investigation, negotiating a settlement, or has simply shelved the case. This uncertainty undermines public confidence in AI oversight at a critical moment when chatbot interactions with children are expanding rapidly across platforms.
The silence surrounding Snap's AI safety complaint represents more than bureaucratic delays—it's a test case for whether AI regulation can function amid political upheaval. As Trump reshapes federal agencies while courting Big Tech, the fate of this disappeared complaint will signal whether child safety concerns can survive Washington's power games. For parents and advocates, Slaughter's demand for answers may be the only thing standing between transparency and a regulatory cover-up.
