Senators urge NCD Cairncross to lead in coordinating government response for AI-enabled cyber threats

Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) are asking National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross to play a leading role in preparing the government to respond to cyber attacks enabled by artificial intelligence, in a recent letter highlighting Anthropic’s report on Chinese actors using the firm’s capabilities.

“We write regarding a recent report by Anthropic stating that, in September 2025, Chinese state-sponsored hackers successfully directed the company’s AI system to autonomously conduct a sophisticated cyberattack campaign against 30 entities, including...