Artificial intelligence companies fear the possibility of a large-scale cyberattack that could disrupt essential services, undermine public confidence in the technology and trigger a political confrontation over how the sector should be regulated.
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Media reports have revealed that senior executives at AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, are preparing for the possibility of a technology-related catastrophe that could fuel public opposition to artificial intelligence.
According to a report published by Axios, industry leaders are privately discussing potential scenarios involving a catastrophic AI-related incident and the consequences that could follow.
What catastrophe are the companies preparing for?
The scenarios under consideration focus on the possibility of a major cyberattack that could disrupt financial services, internet connectivity, or electricity and water supplies.
According to the report, executives are examining the possibility of AI agents getting out of control and escaping their designated testing environments, as well as malicious actors exploiting publicly available AI models to carry out large-scale cyberattacks.
Some people familiar with the AI industry believe the question is no longer whether such an attack could occur, but when it might happen.
Several industry insiders told Axios they expect a major incident within the next six to 12 months, with a large-scale cyberattack considered a likely cause.
These concerns are not based solely on theoretical assumptions. The report pointed to a recent cyber campaign targeting financial institutions in South Korea that reportedly involved uncontrolled AI agents attacking two banks.
Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said the party responsible for the attack used AI tools, including models developed in China such as DeepSeek. The attackers also used Claude Code to identify potential buyers for the stolen data.
AI company leaders expect a catastrophic incident to trigger widespread public anger and political backlash, potentially intensifying existing concerns among people who are already skeptical of the technology.
The fallout could also affect some of the industry's most prominent executives, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
OpenAI said its preparedness exercises examine a range of scenarios without treating them as inevitable, while Anthropic declined to comment.
How are companies preparing for the political fallout?
Internal discussions focus on testing worst-case scenarios and preparing to brief the US Congress before public anger prompts lawmakers to introduce new AI regulations.
Some executives believe the chances of passing significant regulatory legislation remain limited for now. However, they want to ensure their companies have a role in shaping any rules lawmakers may consider following a serious incident.
Proposed responses range from suspending the development of advanced AI systems entirely to imposing a blanket ban on superintelligent AI.
Another proposal has attracted broader support across both the Republican and Democratic parties: requiring developers of advanced AI systems to provide an emergency shutdown mechanism, commonly known as a “kill switch.”
However, experts question whether such a measure could be implemented across all AI systems, given their diverse technical architectures and widespread deployment.
Challenges that go beyond regulatory solutions
Efforts to contain AI risks face two major challenges that are difficult to address through legislation alone.
The first is the growing integration of AI infrastructure into economic activity, meaning that imposing significant restrictions on the technology could cause tangible economic disruption.
The second concerns the widespread availability of AI models that can be freely downloaded and used. This limits developers’ ability to control how these models are exploited or misused once they have been released to the public.
Although these preparations do not necessarily mean that an AI-related catastrophe will occur, they indicate that some industry leaders are taking the possibility increasingly seriously. They are seeking to prepare policymakers politically and institutionally before a real crisis forces them to take urgent action.
