The article examines whether AI companies should receive an antitrust exemption to co-ordinate on safety, through an interview with former US antitrust chief Jonathan Kanter. It explores concerns that requests for collaboration could become regulatory capture or a cartel, weakening competition while allowing major companies to protect their commercial interests.

Kanter argues that AI is developing without adequate “rules of the road”, amid warnings from researchers and safety-focused resignations at leading labs including Anthropic and Google DeepMind. The discussion also considers regulation under the Trump administration, competition from cheaper Chinese open-weight models, investor and IPO pressures, and Kanter’s previous antitrust cases involving Google, Apple and Ticketmaster.