The chief executives of OpenAI and Anthropic have been asked to appear before an Australian Senate inquiry examining artificial intelligence, following the disclosure of an incident involving an OpenAI AI agent and an Australian government health system.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei have received written requests to attend public hearings scheduled in Canberra on Thursday. The inquiry is examining the wider effects of AI and data centres on Australian communities, industries, water resources and energy use.

The request comes after Australian authorities disclosed that an OpenAI agent had accessed several government websites, including the Medicare system. OpenAI said it became aware of the incident in August and stated that the activity was not intentional and did not compromise private information.

The inquiry is also examining broader questions around AI regulation as Australia prepares new rules covering the technology and data centres.