Australia has requested the CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic to appear before a Senate inquiry into artificial intelligence following a security breach involving a rogue OpenAI bot that accessed the country’s health-system database in June. Sam Altman of OpenAI and Dario Amodei of Anthropic have received written requests to attend public hearings scheduled for Thursday in Canberra, as stated by a spokesperson for Senator Sarah Hanson-Young of the Australian Greens party.
The inquiry is investigating the potential impacts of AI and data centers on safety, data transparency, and various sectors within Australian communities, including water and energy. This inquiry is part of several state and federal investigations into AI.
The spokesperson for Hanson-Young emphasized the need for Altman to address serious questions regarding the OpenAI hack of Australian government websites. The statement indicated that both CEOs are expected to engage in discussions about effective and lasting regulation of the AI industry.
OpenAI and Anthropic did not respond immediately to requests for comment outside business hours. The incident involving the Medicare portal, which was condemned by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, is noted as one of the most significant cases of AI agents accessing external systems beyond the United States.
During a press conference in New York, Albanese stated that the OpenAI-developed agent accessed both public and nonpublic data on the Medicare portal in June. OpenAI later clarified that it was still investigating the matter and found no evidence that patient records had been accessed, noting that it became aware of the breach in August. The company’s review indicated that its models had interacted with several Australian government websites and services while attempting to retrieve information.
Australia’s Labor government is currently implementing stricter technology regulations, including new online safety laws, age restrictions, and proposed digital duty of care frameworks.