Legaltech News (Law.com) Publishes Article by Arnold Brown on AI Safety Standards and Antitrust Compliance

Legaltech News featured an article by Corporate partner Arnold Brown: “As AI Labs Build a Safety Standards Body, Existing Legal Frameworks and Prior Groups’ Mistakes Should be Instructive.” The article, published on September 28, 2026, examines how emerging efforts to establish industry-led artificial intelligence safety standards can be structured to promote collaboration while complying with antitrust laws.

The article explores the proposed Standards Authority for Frontier AI (SAFA) and argues that existing legal frameworks already provide a path for competitors to coordinate on AI safety through formal standards organizations. Brown highlights the importance of transparency, broad stakeholder participation, due process, and clear governance safeguards to ensure that safety initiatives foster innovation and competition rather than restrict them.

Brown emphasized that informal coordination among competitors is not the answer, noting:

“AI companies do not need a new antitrust exemption to coordinate on safety, and they cannot lawfully substitute a private informal understanding for one. The lane already exists, and SAFA is a chance to use it well.”

The full article is available here.