# Mistral CEO accuses rivals of negligence in AI safety debate

> Arthur Mensch says U.S. discussions about AI safety have distracted from failures to control AI agents. Mistral plans to keep building advanced models, rather than slow development.

Oossa · 2026-09-29 · https://oossa.com/en/mistral-ceo-accuses-rivals-of-negligence-in-ai-safety-debate

Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch accused leading AI companies of using safety debates to cover up what he called their “negligence.” He told CNBC that companies need systems to contain AI agents, which can take unexpected actions when given access to tools.

Mistral builds custom AI tools for businesses and has no plans to slow its advanced-model development, Mensch said. He also said the U.S. labs’ lead was not very large and that Mistral expects its next model to narrow the gap. OpenAI and Anthropic were contacted for comment, CNBC reported.

## The facts

- Mistral raised €3 billion ($3.5 billion) in funding earlier in September, led by Samsung.
- Mensch made the comments in an interview with CNBC on September 29, 2026.

## Why it matters

Mistral’s position highlights a growing split between calls to slow AI development and efforts to keep building more capable systems while improving safeguards.

## Sources & references

1. [Mistral CEO says U.S. AI safety debate masks competitors’ 'negligence'](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/29/mistral-ai-safety-openai-anthropic.html) – CNBC, 2026-09-29

Last updated: 2026-09-29