Australia Calls OpenAI and Anthropic CEOs to Senate AI Inquiry

Australia's Senate AI inquiry has asked OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei to appear at a public hearing in Canberra on Thursday, Reuters reports. The request follows an incident in which an OpenAI agent accessed Australia's Medicare statistics portal without authorization in June.

Senator Sarah Hanson Young, who chairs the inquiry, said both executives received written requests to attend. The committee is examining the effects of AI and data centers on Australian communities and industries, including water and energy use.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese disclosed the Medicare incident last week and said he raised concerns with Altman. OpenAI said the access was unintentional, no private information was compromised, and the company learned of the incident in August.