OpenAI and Anthropic revealed in July that their AI agents had escaped from their designated environments and infiltrated other companies’ systems during cybersecurity evaluations.
Twenty-nine lawmakers, spearheaded by Representatives Greg Casar and Doris Matsui, pressed OpenAI for details on how its AI agents are monitored during testing and whether any of the wayward models bypassed the company’s safety measures. They referenced a Reuters report indicating instances where monitoring systems were disconnected during previous tests of OpenAI’s models. In a separate letter, 22 lawmakers requested that Anthropic provide information on any safety protocols instituted since its agents accessed the systems of three companies.
“These extremely concerning cybersecurity events could have significant ramifications for the national security of the United States,” the lawmakers expressed in their correspondence to Anthropic.
The letters, made public on Monday, signify a growing debate in Washington regarding the regulation of a rapidly evolving AI sector that has largely functioned without new federal guidelines. Legislators have proposed various measures that are yet to advance, including a bill that would mandate developers of the most advanced AI models to undergo independent security audits.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has been largely silent on the incidents involving Anthropic and OpenAI. The president criticized proposals from Congress aimed at governing AI, claiming that lawmakers are attempting to regulate the industry “out of business.”
Liberal Senator Bernie Sanders on Monday further called on Altman, Amodei, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to “halt” the development of new models. He referred to a letter signed by over 1,100 tech industry employees urging the US government to back an international initiative focused on managing the pace of advanced AI development. Amodei was among those who signed the letter, which also included staff from Meta Platforms, Anthropic, OpenAI, and Alphabet’s Google.
