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A Complaint Lost in Silence

FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter is demanding clarity on the fate of a high-profile complaint against Snap’s My AI chatbot, originally referred to the Department of Justice (DOJ) earlier this year. Speaking on CNBC’s The Exchange, Slaughter highlighted the lack of updates since the referral, stating, “We don’t know what has happened to that complaint. 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.”

The FTC first revealed the existence of the non-public complaint in January 2025, pointing to alleged “risks and harms” the chatbot may pose to minors. The case was referred to the DOJ “in the public interest,” but no action has been reported since.

Snap’s AI and Rising Safety Concerns

Launched in 2023, Snap’s My AI chatbot is powered by large language models developed by OpenAI and Google. While marketed as an innovative feature to enhance user experience, the tool quickly drew criticism after reports surfaced of the AI generating problematic and potentially harmful responses when interacting with younger audiences.

Advocacy groups and privacy watchdogs have warned that the chatbot could expose children to inappropriate or misleading content, raising questions about whether companies like Snap are prioritizing growth over safety.

Both Snap and the DOJ have so far declined to comment on the matter.

Political Tensions and Regulatory Challenges

Slaughter’s comments come against a backdrop of political turbulence. Just a day before her remarks, President Donald Trump hosted a White House dinner with top tech executives including Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Apple CEO Tim Cook. Slaughter criticized the timing, saying, “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.”

Meanwhile, Trump has repeatedly attempted to remove Slaughter from her post at the FTC. Earlier this week, a U.S. appeals court ruled in her favor, allowing her to keep her role. However, on Thursday, the president escalated the fight by petitioning the Supreme Court for authority to fire her.

Divisions Inside the FTC

The issue has also revealed fractures within the FTC itself. Andrew Ferguson, the current FTC Chair appointed by Trump, openly opposed the Snap complaint back in January. Before succeeding former chair Lina Khan, Ferguson argued that pursuing such action would be unconstitutional. He even pledged to issue a detailed statement against the move if the DOJ advanced the case.

This internal division underscores the broader debate over how aggressively federal regulators should police artificial intelligence tools, especially when they intersect with social media and young users.

The Bigger Picture

The uncertainty surrounding the Snap AI complaint highlights the growing tension between innovation and accountability in the tech sector. AI-powered tools are being rapidly deployed across platforms with minimal oversight, leaving regulators scrambling to keep pace.

For Snap, the lack of resolution leaves both its investors and its users in limbo, while for policymakers, it underscores the urgent need for clear national standards on AI safety and child protection.

The DOJ’s silence may not last much longer, but until answers emerge, the question remains: how much responsibility should tech firms bear when AI tools put vulnerable users at risk?