A report published October 9, 2026, said executives at OpenAI, Anthropic and other AI companies were privately gaming out public and political responses to a hypothetical catastrophic AI event. The scenario highlighted was a cyberattack that could disrupt essential services; the account described planning for a possible crisis, not an attack that had occurred.
What the reported planning involves
The reported planning included red-teaming worst-case scenarios and efforts to educate members of Congress about policies that might follow a serious incident. Red-teaming means examining a plan or system by looking for ways it could fail. The account described preparation for public and political fallout, without specifying who took part or detailing the exercises.
The scenario: a cyberattack affecting essential services
The hypothetical scenario involved a large cyberattack that could disrupt financial services, internet connectivity, electricity or water. A disruption to any of these could affect services people and businesses rely on, but the reported scenario was a possibility being considered—not an actual attack.
What OpenAI said and Anthropic’s response
OpenAI said it conducts preparedness exercises in which teams discuss and work through potential scenarios. The company said it does not treat those scenarios as inevitable. That statement describes OpenAI’s general exercises and position.
Anthropic declined to comment on the reported planning.
The reported six-to-12-month expectation
At the time of the October 9 report, industry insiders reportedly expected a major incident could occur within the next six to 12 months. That was an attributed expectation, not a confirmed date for an incident.
