Major technology companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon have joined more than 100 organisations in calling for an urgent, society-wide effort to strengthen cyber defences against increasingly capable AI-driven cyberattacks.
In a joint letter, the companies warned that the cybersecurity landscape could change dramatically in the coming months as AI models become more capable and increasingly accessible. The organisations said governments, technology companies and businesses need to act now to make digital infrastructure significantly more resilient before AI-enabled attacks become more widespread.
The letter brings together a broad cross-section of the technology, cybersecurity, financial and industrial sectors. Other signatories include Broadcom, Capital One, Cloudflare, CrowdStrike, General Motors, IBM, Mastercard, Oracle, Robinhood, Shopify and Visa, highlighting that the threat extends well beyond traditional technology companies.
The companies warned that attackers are increasingly using AI systems to accelerate activities that previously required considerable technical expertise and time. More capable AI models can potentially assist malicious actors across different stages of cyberattacks, increasing the scale and speed at which organisations may be targeted.
The coalition called on governments to accelerate trusted access programmes, which allow selected organisations to gain access to more powerful AI models before they become broadly available. The companies argue that organisations responsible for defending critical digital infrastructure need access to advanced AI capabilities so they can develop and deploy defensive systems at a pace that keeps up with attackers.
The letter also urged companies and other organisations to make cybersecurity an immediate leadership priority, rather than treating it solely as an IT or technical function. The underlying message is that AI is changing the balance between attackers and defenders, requiring greater investment, cooperation and preparedness across the entire digital ecosystem.
The warning comes as concerns about AI-powered hacking are increasingly being accompanied by real-world incidents. Cybercriminal groups and other malicious actors have begun experimenting with AI tools to automate reconnaissance, identify vulnerabilities and support intrusion attempts, raising fears that the barrier to conducting sophisticated attacks could fall significantly.
The development has also attracted the attention of intelligence agencies. In June, the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, comprising the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, issued a joint warning that increasingly capable AI systems could fundamentally transform the cybersecurity environment.
The latest industry letter therefore reflects a growing convergence between governments, intelligence agencies and technology companies around the need to strengthen cyber defences before AI capabilities advance further.
At the same time, the push creates a difficult policy challenge. The same AI systems that can help organisations detect threats, analyse vulnerabilities and respond to attacks can potentially provide malicious actors with powerful tools. Ensuring that defensive capabilities develop faster than offensive applications is becoming an increasingly important part of AI governance and cybersecurity strategy.
The companies’ call for a coordinated defensive response signals that AI cybersecurity is no longer simply an issue for security teams. Financial institutions, manufacturers, technology companies, governments and everyday digital services could all face increased exposure as AI-assisted attacks become faster, cheaper and potentially more scalable.
The coalition’s central message is clear: organisations have a limited window to strengthen digital defences before increasingly capable AI systems make the cyber threat landscape significantly more difficult to control.
Author
About the Author
