California attorney general opens probe into OpenAI over cybersecurity concerns

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has issued an investigative subpoena to OpenAI, starting a probe into the startup as part of a broader inquiry into potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities and incidents related to its AI models, his office said on Thursday.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. AI agents developed by OpenAI hacked Hugging Face in July, gaining access to parts of the open-source platform's infrastructure.

The Federal Trade Commission is conducting an industry-wide probe into Anthropic, OpenAI and other AI labs to uncover the potential dangers their technology poses to consumers, a senior FTC official told Reuters on Wednesday. The probe is the first official US enforcement action that delves into rogue AI agents.


"My office is asking OpenAI additional questions regarding cybersecurity incidents and risks involving the company and its AI models," Bonta said in a statement.

Bonta warned that developers failing to uphold this responsibility could face legal accountability.