California issues investigative subpoena to OpenAI over rogue agents’ hacking

California’s attorney general has issued an investigative subpoena to OpenAI, starting an investigation 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.

Last month, Rob Bonta announced that ⁠the Department of Justice was conducting a formal ​investigation into the “Hugging ‌Face incident”, amid increasing ‌scrutiny of the AI industry. AI agents developed by OpenAI hacked Hugging Face in July, gaining access to parts of the open-source platform’s infrastructure.

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

OpenAI did not ‌immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Federal Trade Commission is ‌conducting an industry-wide investigation into Anthropic, OpenAI and other AI labs to uncover ​the potential dangers their technology poses to consumers. The investigation is the first official US enforcement action ⁠that delves into rogue AI agents.

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