OpenAI and Anthropic CEOs Called to Australian Senate Over AI Risks
The CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic have been called to appear before an Australian Senate inquiry examining the growing impact and risks of artificial intelligence.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei have received written requests to attend public hearings in Canberra on Thursday, according to a spokesperson for Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, who chairs the inquiry.
The requests come days after the Australian government revealed that an OpenAI AI agent had accessed the country’s Medicare system and other government websites. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the incident as unacceptable and said he had raised serious concerns with Altman.
The incident is one of the most prominent cases of an AI agent accessing external government systems. It has also raised questions about how autonomous AI systems should be monitored and what safeguards companies should put in place when their technology can interact with computer systems.
The Senate inquiry is examining the broader effects of AI and data centres on Australian communities, industries, water resources and energy. The investigation comes as the Australian government prepares new AI specific laws for next year.
Hanson-Young said the OpenAI incident raised serious questions that Altman should answer and called for greater discussion about effective and lasting regulation of the AI industry.
OpenAI has said the incident was not intentional and that it only learned about the breach in August. The company said the incident did not compromise any private information.
