FTC Chair: AI Developers, Not Agents, Bear Liability for Agent Conduct

FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson told the Reuters Momentum AI audience in Austin on September 25, 2026 that AI developers, not the agents themselves, are liable for agent conduct. Audits of supposedly "rogue" agents showed they were following instructions they had been given. No new AI law is needed — existing FTC authority, including breach-disclosure power, already applies.

• Ferguson spoke on September 25, 2026 at Reuters Momentum AI in Austin
• Audit trails showed "rogue" agents were executing given instructions
• No new AI law requested; existing FTC authority suffices
• Developers advised to keep append-only logs of agent decisions as evidence