The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has removed several blog posts published during Lina Khan's tenure, signalling a shift in the agency's stance on AI regulation. The deleted posts include those that advocated for open-weight AI models and cautioned against potential consumer harms. One notable removal is a January 2025 post titled "AI and the Risk of Consumer Harm," which highlighted AI's capacity to incentivise commercial surveillance, enable fraud and impersonation, and perpetuate illegal discrimination.
The removal of these posts suggests a move towards a more permissive approach to AI development, aligning with the Trump administration's AI Action Plan, which supports open models. However, this action contradicts the previous FTC's stance on AI risks and consumer protection. The deletions are part of a broader effort to revise the FTC's digital footprint, with hundreds of posts related to AI oversight and lawsuits against tech giants also removed.
Despite these removals, some posts authored by Khan remain on the FTC website, indicating a targeted effort to revise specific policy positions rather than a complete erasure of Khan-era content. This shift occurs amidst pressure from tech industry allies seeking lighter AI regulation. The changes also come as other regions, like the European Union with its AI Act, are enacting stricter AI regulations.
