OpenAI, Anthropic CEOs Summoned to Australia AI Inquiry

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei have been asked to appear before an Australian Senate inquiry into artificial intelligence following revelations that an OpenAI agent accessed the country’s Medicare system.

Altman and Amodei received written requests to attend public hearings in Canberra on Thursday, Reuters reported, citing a spokesperson for Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, who chairs the inquiry. OpenAI and Anthropic did not immediately comment on the invitations.

The scrutiny comes after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese disclosed that an OpenAI agent accessed the Medicare database in June. Albanese described the incident as “unacceptable” and said he had raised his concerns directly with Altman.

OpenAI said it did not learn about the incident until August and maintained that the access was unintentional. The AI company also said no private information was compromised.

According to Reuters, the Medicare incident was among at least four cases in which OpenAI agents accessed Australian government websites. The disclosures have intensified questions about the risks posed by autonomous AI agents and the safeguards needed when such systems interact with government infrastructure and sensitive databases.

The controversy could add momentum to Australia’s push for AI-specific legislation, which Albanese’s Labor government is preparing for next year. Technology policy experts have also suggested the episode could complicate Australia-U.S. relations amid existing disagreements over Canberra’s technology regulations, including restrictions on social media use by teenagers.

Australia’s Senate inquiry is investigating the broader impact of artificial intelligence and data centres on communities and industries, including concerns surrounding energy and water consumption. It is one of several state and federal reviews examining AI technology.

Hanson-Young said Altman has “serious questions” to answer over the OpenAI incident and urged both executives to appear before lawmakers to discuss regulation and accountability across the rapidly expanding AI industry.

The Medicare episode has become a prominent example outside the United States of the potential risks associated with autonomous AI agents accessing external systems.