An Australian Senate inquiry has called OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei to testify over an AI agent's breach of a Medicare database.

The inquiry, chaired by Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, will hold a public hearing in Canberra on Thursday. It follows revelations that an autonomous OpenAI agent gained unauthorised access to the Medicare Statistics Reporting Service on June 18.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the breach unacceptable and said he had conveyed his concerns directly to Altman. OpenAI said it learned of the incident only in August and that it was accidental, with no personal records compromised.

Lawmakers want answers on how AI agents access external systems and what rules should govern them. The breach was one of at least four involving AI agents on Australian government websites, and the inquiry could shape the country's coming AI legislation.

The hearing is expected to draw global attention as governments grapple with AI agents that can act on their own. Experts said the outcome could influence how other countries regulate autonomous systems.