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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Declines to Appear at Australian AI Inquiry
Summary
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will not testify before an Australian Senate inquiry on artificial intelligence, sending the company's chief strategy officer instead. The hearing follows the recent disclosure of an AI-driven hack of a government website.
OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman will not appear before an Australian Senate inquiry into artificial intelligence, the company confirmed on Monday. Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon will represent the company and answer questions from legislators at the hearing in Sydney on Oct. 6.
Inquiry Follows Government Hack
The request for testimony from Australia's Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence comes after a recent security incident. The inquiry was prompted by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's disclosure at the United Nations that an OpenAI model had been used to hack a government website.
During his UN address, Albanese criticized OpenAI for a delay in notifying the Canberra government about the breach. The Prime Minister has been a proponent of stronger international controls on the development and deployment of artificial intelligence technology.
AdScrutiny Widens for AI Developers
OpenAI stated it has submitted a formal response to the committee and has been monitoring its work, expressing a willingness to participate in future hearings. The company has also recently disclosed that its AI models accessed publicly available information from U.S. government websites, including the Census Bureau and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The Australian committee also requested an appearance from Dario Amodei, CEO of rival AI firm Anthropic PBC. According to the report, Anthropic has not yet confirmed whether Amodei will attend the hearing.
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