Stocks Rise Pre-Bell as Investors Weigh Growing AI Safety Concerns

08:00 AM EDT, 09/29/2026 (MT Newswires) -- US equity futures were tracking higher on Tuesday as investors weigh growing concerns over artificial intelligence safety and monitor the latest developments in the Middle East conflict. The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average inched up 0.1% each in premarket activity, while the Nasdaq gained 0.3%. The indexes closed the previous trading session lower. AI startup Anthropic intends to warn potential investors in its initial public offering that AI could pose "existential risks to humanity," Reuters reported Monday, citing the firm's IPO prospectus. Anthropic and rival AI lab OpenAI confidentially filed for their respective IPOs in the US earlier in the year. Their chief executives were among the AI leaders who recently warned of increasing safety risks from the technology and urged the industry to advance AI model capabilities at a more measured pace. The rapid deployment of artificial intelligence could pose systemic risks, International Monetary Fund First Deputy Managing Director Dan Katz said Monday, calling on regulators and governments to promote strong governance and technical controls. Chipmaking giant Nvidia (NVDA) launched an open software platform Monday that includes a tool capable of quarantining AI agents that try to move outside their boundaries. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) on Monday agreed to acquire AI model and research lab World Labs in an all-stock deal worth roughly $8.2 billion. West Texas Intermediate crude oil dipped 0.4% to $92.20 a barrel Tuesday, while Brent decreased 0.3% to $104.86. US and Iranian officials reportedly held separate discussions with mediators on Monday as part of renewed efforts to end their war, Reuters reported. Additional discussions are likely to focus on an amended version of a seven-day ceasefire plan recently proposed by Iran, according to the officials. President Donald Trump recently said that he rejected Iran's conditional peace proposal, which included reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz and resuming further diplomatic talks. Treasury yields were mixed early Tuesday, with the two-year rate gaining 0.9 basis points to 4.93% while the 10-year rate retreated 0.6 basis points to 5.24%. The Case-Shiller Home Price Index and the Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index, both for July, are out at 9 am ET. The consumer confidence report for September and the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for August both follow at 10 am. Several Federal Reserve officials are due to speak Tuesday, including Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman and Governors Michael Barr and Christopher Waller. Shares of MongoDB (MDB) rebounded 1.6% pre-bell after closing the previous session down 19%. The company's CEO, Chirantan Desai, stepped down to join Meta Platforms (META) as chief enterprise platform officer. Summit Therapeutics (SMMT) gained 22% as the company secured a $2 billion investment from AstraZeneca (AZN). Carnival (CCL, CUK) and CarMax (KMX) release their latest financial results before the bell. Gold rose 0.3% to $4,180 per troy ounce, while bitcoin was up 0.7% to $84,014.