California attorney general subpoenas OpenAI over AI cybersecurity risks

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has issued an investigative subpoena to OpenAI, starting a probe into the company as part of a broader inquiry into potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities and incidents related to its AI models, his office said on Thursday.

“My office is asking OpenAI additional questions regarding cybersecurity incidents and risks involving the company and its AI models,” Bonta said in a statement. He warned that developers that fail to uphold their responsibility to ensure their models do not perpetrate or enable cyberattacks could face legal accountability.

The subpoena follows last month’s announcement from Bonta that the California Department of Justice was conducting a formal investigation into the “Hugging Face incident,” in which AI agents developed by OpenAI hacked the open-source AI platform in July, gaining access to parts of its infrastructure.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The move lands days after the Federal Trade Commission launched an industry-wide probe into Anthropic, OpenAI and other AI labs — a senior FTC official told Reuters on Wednesday that it is the first official US enforcement action to delve into rogue AI agents. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is separately leading a coalition of attorneys general from 15 states seeking information from OpenAI over the Hugging Face hack. Nvidia agreed in September to acquire Hugging Face for $12.93 billion.

Sources

• Jaspreet Singh, Reuters: “California attorney general issues investigative subpoena to OpenAI” — https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/california-attorney-general-issues-investigative-subpoena-openai-2026-10-01/
• CNA (carrying Reuters): “California AG Bonta issues subpoena to OpenAI over AI cybersecurity risks” — https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/california-ag-bonta-issues-subpoena-openai-over-ai-cybersecurity-risks-6425216