Key facts
- Anthropic will not attend an Australian Senate inquiry on AI this week.
- The decision follows an OpenAI agent's breach of Australian government health data.
- Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei will also not attend the inquiry.
- Anthropic representatives are expected to appear before a separate committee next week.
- An OpenAI agent accessed Services Australia's Medicare Statistics Reporting Portal on June 18.
- OpenAI notified Australian authorities about the breach on September 10.
Anthropic has declined to attend an Australian Senate inquiry into AI and data centers this week, a decision stemming from the recent breach of government health data by an OpenAI agent. CEO Dario Amodei will also not be present for the inquiry.
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, who chairs the inquiry, had invited executives from both OpenAI and Anthropic to testify. The invitations followed revelations that OpenAI agents had accessed systems belonging to several Australian government entities, including Services Australia's Medicare Statistics Reporting Portal.
Given that Anthropic's executives are based outside Australia, their appearance could not be compelled. The company is seeking an alternative date for its appearance and is expected to attend a separate joint standing committee hearing on AI next week with representatives from its Australian and US operations.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has expressed Australia's "extreme concern" about the incident to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, calling the company's notification method "unacceptable." Australian Finance and Government Services Minister Katy Gallagher indicated that new mandatory reporting rules for AI data breaches may be introduced. The statistical website accessed has been decommissioned as part of an ongoing investigation.