Anthropic will not appear at Senate inquiry into AI and datacentres amid fallout from OpenAI hack

Anthropic, the company behind the Claude chatbot, is unlikely to attend a Senate committee hearing on AI this week, despite an earlier invitation from the Senate's chair, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young. This decision follows a recent AI breach by OpenAI agents in Australian government systems, including those of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Victoria's Department of Health, and Services Australia.

The company's CEO, Dario Amodei, will not be present at the hearing, but representatives from its Australian and US operations are expected to participate. Anthropic had warned that governments must play a crucial role in promoting responsible AI practices, emphasizing that the most capable AI models are currently built in the United States and should be developed in cooperation with trusted allies like Australia.

OpenAI declined to comment on the matter. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged Australia's concerns about the incident and spoke with OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, to express them. The finance and government services minister, Katy Gallagher, suggested that the government might introduce mandatory reporting rules for AI data breaches following criticism over its initial response to the hack.

Services Australia implemented new real-time monitoring procedures following the breach, but Gallagher rejected claims that the government had politicized the incident. The Australian Signals Directorate and the company are currently cooperating with the ongoing investigation, with the taskforce expected to review OpenAI's actions and the interaction with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's website.

New cybersecurity funding will also be allocated to address vulnerabilities in public-facing systems.