safety cartel /ˈseɪf.ti kɑrˈtɛl/ noun A coalition of dominant firms that invokes safety to justify coordinated limits on the pace or terms of competition. This can include common restrictions, government enforcement, or exemptions from ordinary antitrust constraints, especially when those measures allow participants to slow down without sacrificing their relative competitive positions. Especially: a group of frontier AI companies advocating industry-wide “pacing,” common capability limits, or regulatory checkpoints that constrain faster-moving rivals while preserving incumbent advantages. See also: regulatory moat, incumbent protection, coordinated pacing. “When competitors need an antitrust waiver to coordinate how fast their industry is allowed to advance, critics may call it a safety cartel.”