Over 100 companies including Anthropic, OpenAI, Oracle, Perplexity, Google and Microsoft have signed an open letter urging governments and organisations globally to strengthen their cyber defences before AI-powered attacks become harder to stop.
“We have a limited window to strengthen cyber defences,” the open letter said as AI models become more capable, attackers could use them to find weaknesses, launch attacks and exploit systems much faster.
The threat is not limited to large technology companies. Hospitals, water treatment plants and the infrastructure that keeps the internet running could all be targeted.
The letter argues that many organisations are already exposed because of outdated software, poor configurations, weak authentication, excessive permissions and years of accumulated technical debt.
The companies argue that AI could help turn the situation around by giving security teams better tools to find and fix vulnerabilities more quickly and at a lower cost.
The letter calls on organisations to make cybersecurity a priority and focus on fixing their most serious weaknesses. It also urges them to check that fixes actually work and to build stronger security into new systems, including software created using AI.
“Cyber capabilities are advancing worldwide, and that can be a net positive: no single company should control the future. It also means a global response is necessary, requiring new partnerships to raise security standards and find new solutions to emerging cyber threats,” the letter added.
“Each of us can reduce risk now. All organisations, cybersecurity companies, technology partners, governments, and AI frontier companies have an important role: accelerate defenders’ priorities with tools, funding, and hands-on support, especially for critical infrastructure organisations with limited budgets.”
The companies also want leading AI developers to provide funding, training and practical support to organisations that do not have the money or expertise to keep up with the growing threat.
The full list of companies can be found here.
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