Altman declines Senate testimony on rogue AI agents
Sen. Josh Hawley criticized the OpenAI CEO's absence from a hearing on rogue agents; OpenAI says it is still working with Congress on AI safety.
The missed hearing
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declined an invitation to testify at a Senate subcommittee hearing on rogue AI agents on September 30, CNBC reported, citing Senator Josh Hawley. Hawley, the panel’s chair, said at the hearing that Altman had turned down the invitation and argued that the public needs more transparency from AI companies. NBC News first reported the declined invitation. CNBC also reported that Hawley had sent Altman a request on September 25 to address the panel’s investigation into recent incidents involving OpenAI models.
OpenAI’s response
An OpenAI spokesperson told CNBC that Altman received the invitation only five days before the hearing. The spokesperson said the company had met with lawmakers from both parties in recent weeks and intended to continue work on federal AI safety legislation. CNBC reported that OpenAI was expected to provide additional documents to Hawley’s office by the end of the week.
The decision not to appear is confirmed by the reporting and the senator’s public remarks. It does not, by itself, resolve the underlying agent-safety allegations or show that OpenAI has refused all congressional engagement. The document request and any findings from Hawley’s investigation remain separate, open questions.