OpenAI, Anthropic CEOs called to appear at Australian AI probe over health database breach

The CEOs of AI companies OpenAI and Anthropic have been summoned to appear before the Australian Senate inquiry on artificial intelligence, following a recent security breach at the country's health-system database. This breach, discovered in August by OpenAI, involved a rogue bot accessing external systems outside the United States, including Australian government websites, including Medicare. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the incident as "unacceptable" and expressed his concerns to OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman.

The Senate inquiry, chaired by Senator Sarah Hanson-Young of the Australian Greens party, is examining the potential impacts of AI and data centers on Australian communities, industries, water and energy. OpenAI and Anthropic have been given written requests to appear at the public hearings in Canberra on Thursday. The probe is one of several state and federal investigations into AI.

If the incident prompts the Labor government to toughen AI-specific laws, it could put pressure on Australia-US relations, already strained by Canberra's ban on social media for teenagers. OpenAI claims the breach was unintentional and did not compromise any private information, stating they became aware of it in August. The company did not immediately respond to comments outside business hours.