Liability, Not Regulation, Drives AI Safety, WSJ Columnist Argues

Wall Street Journal opinion columnist Andy Kessler argues that legal liability, rather than government regulation, is the true force compelling AI companies to build safer systems—and that OpenAI and Anthropic's recent public warnings about AI dangers reflect less principled concern than financial self-interest. In a September 27 opinion piece titled "The Real AI Fear: Lawyers," Kessler contends that "liability is much more effective than regulation at pushing companies to be safe." The commentary arrives as OpenAI and Anthropic, facing mounting internal safety incidents and regulatory pressure ahead of anticipated public offerings, have intensified calls for government oversight and third-party auditing of their most advanced models.