Ex-FTC chair Khan says the US should jail AI CEOs, citing a 1934 precedent

Ex-FTC boss Khan: break out the handcuffs for AI CEOs, citing 1934 precedent

Former FTC chair Lina Khan told The Register that existing US laws can already hold AI executives criminally liable. She pointed to Section 501 of the 1934 Communications Act, which was used to convict telecom execs for fraud. Khan argued that if an AI company knows its model is being used for scams, CSAM, or price-fixing, the CEO should face charges—not hide behind 'the model did it.' She named OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic as firms that ship fast and push safety burdens downstream. The article does not include responses from those companies.

Why it matters: Khan offers a concrete, actionable liability framework — not vague regulatory talk. The 1934 Communications Act precedent gives the argument teeth. Score held below 85 because this is commentary, not policy action, and The Register's piece is a secondary account without full d...