OpenAI is calling for a global surge in cyber defense, warning that increasingly capable artificial intelligence could soon make cyberattacks more widespread and sophisticated.
More than 100 companies and organizations, including Anthropic, Microsoft, Google, Amazon Web Services, CrowdStrike, Cisco, Cloudflare and Palo Alto Networks, signed an open letter published by OpenAI calling for governments, technology companies and cybersecurity firms to work together to strengthen defenses.
The letter argues that organizations have a limited window to improve cybersecurity before AI-enabled attacks become more advanced. Critical infrastructure, including hospitals, water treatment facilities and the systems that underpin the internet, could be particularly vulnerable.
"Longstanding bugs, excessive permissions, misconfigurations, insecure and unpatched software, weak authentication, and technical debt in legacy systems have left systems exposed," the letter stated.
The group is also urging organizations to use AI as a defensive tool, arguing that the technology can make cybersecurity work faster, cheaper and more accessible. That could include using AI to identify and fix vulnerabilities, continuously test defenses and help security teams respond to incidents.
