Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei will decline an invitation to appear before an Australian Senate inquiry into AI and data centres this week, The Guardian reported on September 28. The paper says Anthropic will not attend the Senate hearing. Representatives of its Australian and US operations are expected at a hearing of a different parliamentary committee early next week; Amodei will not attend that hearing either.

The big change

  • What changed: Amodei's reported decision resolves one of the two chief executive invitations described last week. Anthropic's expected appearance at another committee does not place it before the Senate AI and data centres inquiry this week.
  • Why it matters: The Senate committee can still examine government dealings with AI companies and the effects of data centre growth on Australian communities, water and energy. It will do so without testimony from Anthropic's chief executive at this week's hearing, according to the Guardian.
  • What to watch: The Senate hearing on October 1 and the separate joint committee hearing expected early next week. The Guardian approached OpenAI for comment; its report does not say whether Altman accepted or declined the Senate invitation.

Two parliamentary inquiries

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young invited Amodei and Altman to appear before the Senate's Environment and Communications References Committee inquiry into AI and data centres, according to the Guardian. Parliament referred that inquiry on May 13. Its terms cover rules for Australian data centre growth, government deals with global AI companies, and effects on communities, industry, the environment, water and energy. Its reporting date is November 16.

The Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence is a separate inquiry appointed by both houses of Parliament on August 20. Its remit ranges across AI's economic opportunities, social risks, copyright and national security. The Guardian says Anthropic's Australian and US representatives are expected to appear before that committee early next week. It does not identify the representatives or report that Amodei will attend.

The Senate inquiry is also separate from the government's review of the Medicare portal incident and existing law. The Guardian connects the invitations to the reported access by OpenAI agents to Australian government websites, but the Senate committee's formal terms reach beyond that incident.

An invitation, with attendance still to be established

The Guardian reports that neither US-based chief executive can be compelled to appear before the Senate committee because they are outside Australia. The Senate's witness procedures distinguish an invitation from a summons, which requires a committee decision that circumstances warrant it. No summons is reported here.

The Guardian says it approached OpenAI for comment but does not say whether Altman accepted or declined the invitation. BIG CHANGE could not review the individual invitation letters or a current official witness program for either hearing, so the reported attendance plans remain attributed to the Guardian.