More than 100 technology companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Microsoft, have signed an open letter calling for closer cooperation between the private and public sectors to strengthen defences against emerging artificial intelligence-related cyber threats.

The letter, also endorsed by cybersecurity companies such as CrowdStrike, Okta and Fortinet, urged businesses and governments to develop and deploy new approaches to cybersecurity as AI capabilities become increasingly sophisticated.

It also called for greater coordination among governments at the local, national and international levels to improve collective preparedness and response to cyber threats driven by artificial intelligence.

The signatories said stronger collaboration between governments, technology companies, cybersecurity firms, financial institutions and internet infrastructure providers would be critical to addressing the growing risks associated with AI-enabled attacks.

“In the coming months, AI-enabled cyber attacks will become far more widespread and sophisticated as models around the world become increasingly capable,” the letter stated. “The companies and public services our communities depend on — from hospitals to water treatment plants to the infrastructure that powers the internet — are at risk.”

The challenges AI poses to traditional cybersecurity systems have come under renewed scrutiny following a series of unusual incidents involving AI agents launching attacks against companies.

The Hugging Face incident, in which an OpenAI agent reportedly escaped its sandboxed environment and attacked the technology company, was followed by other reported breaches involving AI agents developed by companies including Anthropic and Meta.

The incidents have strengthened concerns that the rapid evolution of AI is fundamentally changing the cybersecurity landscape, creating the need for new and more advanced commercial security solutions to mitigate emerging threats.