Media: Australian Senate summons OpenAI, Anthropic CEOs over AI issues

The Australian Senate committee has invited OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei to hearings on artificial intelligence and data centers, scheduled for October 1 in Canberra.

The request is currently voluntary, although the committee has the authority to compel the executives to appear, The Guardian reports.

Earlier, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said an OpenAI AI agent had gained unauthorized access in June to the portal of the government’s Medicare health system. The incident only became known three months later. 

According to the prime minister, the agent was able to bypass restrictions and access confidential files. OpenAI explained that the incident occurred as part of internal model testing.

“This can’t all be done behind closed doors. The public has a right to know what went on here,” said Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, who is leading the inquiry.

She also called on the heads of AI companies to engage in an open discussion about industry regulation if they are genuinely concerned about the risks posed by the rapid development of the technology.

By Jeyhun Aghazada