OpenAI and Anthropic Are Kicking Off a Cybersecurity Frenzy

https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-and-anthropic-kick-off-cybersecurity-frenzy-2026-5

Publish Date: 2026-05-18 05:00:00

The CISO, or chief information security officer, has suddenly become one of the most high-pressure roles in business.

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This spring, Anthropic’s Mythos and OpenAI’s GPT‑5.5 models sparked a wave of fear that attackers armed with advanced AI models could soon crack systems worldwide. And the unease adds to the issues that cybersecurity already faces.

More companies use outside code libraries than in eras prior, which could make it easier for hacks to spread if there are vulnerabilities in those packages of code. And last year, coding tools from OpenAI and Anthropic took off, helping developers churn out millions of lines of new code. Those tools are prone to creating errors and vulnerabilities that developers miss — putting researchers, companies, and governments on high alert.

“Everyone’s predicting that there will be a lot more hacking this year,” said Isaac Evans, CEO of cybersecurity startup Semgrep.

An OpenAI spokesperson pointed to a recent spree of cyber-focused announcements and releases that aim to have AI improvements help defenders work more quickly and effectively. The company’s “Daybreak” page lets developers request a security scan. Anthropic, which is also in the midst of a cybersecurity push, did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.