OpenAI and Microsoft joined more than 100 technology and cybersecurity companies in a public letter warning that hospitals and other critical infrastructure face a fast-approaching surge in AI-enabled cyberattacks.
The letter, posted to OpenAI’s website Aug. 27, calls for a coordinated response from industry, governments and AI developers to shore up defenses before attackers gain the upper hand.
Other signatories include Google, Amazon Web Services, Anthropic, IBM, Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, CrowdStrike and Cloudflare, alongside major banks, insurers and consulting firms. The letter states that AI-enabled attacks will grow “far more widespread and sophisticated” in the coming months as models around the world become more capable, and names hospitals specifically as organizations at risk alongside water treatment plants and internet infrastructure.
The group’s proposed principles call for empowering defenders with cyber-capable AI, treating security as a leadership priority rather than a technical afterthought, and mobilizing a global response rather than leaving any single company or country in control of defensive capabilities. The letter asks governments to fund cyber defense for under-resourced essential services and give hospitals, water utilities and local governments access to capable defensive AI and hands-on support through trusted security providers.
The letter arrives as healthcare remains one of the most frequently targeted sectors for ransomware and data breaches, giving hospital and health system security leaders a direct stake in how quickly the proposed collective response takes shape.
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