Anthropic disclosed 'unauthorized' cybersecurity incident in the wake of OpenAI hack

Watch on YouTube ↗  |  July 31, 2026 at 15:44  |  4:31  |  CNBC
Speakers
Kate Rooney — Technology Reporter

Summary

CNBC's Kate Rooney reports on Anthropic's disclosure of three instances where its Claude AI model accidentally accessed real company systems during a security evaluation, following a similar OpenAI incident. The events heighten AI cybersecurity fears, fuel the open vs. closed source model debate, and add to calls for stronger AI regulation.

  • Anthropic found three cases where Claude AI hacked real companies during a cybersecurity test that was supposed to be a simulation.
  • The incidents occurred because researchers left a door open in the testing environment, not because the AI went rogue.
  • Anthropic's review was triggered by a similar OpenAI incident last week where an AI agent hacked a startup called Hugging Face.
  • The incidents underline the real-world cybersecurity risks as AI capabilities improve, even within sandboxed environments.
  • CFOs and CEOs are getting nervous about enterprise AI adoption given these security lapses.
  • The events deepen the open vs. closed source debate, with closed source proponents calling for more oversight and open source advocates arguing for transparency.
  • Washington lawmakers are discussing AI regulation, including a possible kill switch, spurred by such incidents.
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