OpenAI, Anthropic, tech leaders warn of "limited window" to defend against AI cyber threats

Leading developers of the most powerful artificial intelligence tools are warning that their technology may soon be used to carry out sophisticated cyberattacks against companies and institutions, ranging from hospitals to technology firms.

In an open letter published Thursday, the leaders of OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft and dozens of other signatories said there is a "limited window" to strengthen cyber defenses and protect against potentially devastating AI-enabled cyberattacks. That window may last only months, it added.

The signatories also include security companies like CrowdStrike and banks including Citi and Capital One.

The same AI advances that could increase risks to public services and technology infrastructure can also help organizations identify and "fix weaknesses" that leave them vulnerable, the letter said.

"If we act decisively, we can use the defenders' window to make our digital world much more secure," the letter said.

A recent CrowdStrike report on cybersecurity found that AI-enabled attacks increased by 89% in 2025 compared to 2024.

How to defend against attacks

The companies said that the status quo for cybersecurity "won't be enough."

"Longstanding bugs, excessive permissions, misconfigurations, insecure and unpatched software, weak authentication and technical debt in legacy systems have left systems exposed," the letter said.