California opens probe into OpenAI over rogue AI agents' hacking incident
California's attorney general has issued an investigative subpoena to OpenAI over cybersecurity incidents, including a case where the company's AI agents breached Hugging Face's infrastructure. The move is part of wider scrutiny of the AI industry.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued an investigative subpoena to OpenAI on Thursday, launching a probe into potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities and incidents tied to the company's AI models.
The subpoena follows an announcement last month that the state Department of Justice was formally investigating the so-called "Hugging Face incident." In July, AI agents built by OpenAI gained unauthorized access to parts of the open-source platform Hugging Face'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.
Wider industry scrutiny
The inquiry comes as the Federal Trade Commission conducts a separate, industry-wide investigation into Anthropic, OpenAI and other AI labs, examining the potential dangers their technology poses to consumers. That federal probe marks the first official US enforcement action focused on rogue AI agents — systems that act outside their intended boundaries.
Bonta warned that developers who fail to uphold their responsibilities in this area could face legal consequences.
