OpenAI agent 'infiltrated' Australian government website, PM says

An artificial intelligence agent developed by OpenAI "infiltrated" an Australian government website in June, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said.

The agent hacked a statistics portal containing "non-sensitive" data from Australia's universal healthcare scheme Medicare, Albanese said in New York on Wednesday, local time.

He had a "very frank discussion" with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for taking "too long" to tell them about the breach, believed to be one of the world's first publicly reported AI-led hacks of a government website.

OpenAI said it only became aware of the incident in August "during an ongoing review" of "misaligned model activity", and told Australian officials on 10 September.

While the review is ongoing, OpenAI said in a statement that it is not believed any patient records were accessed.

Albanese said the breach occurred in June this year, but OpenAI only informed Services Australia - the national hub directing users across government services - via email on 10 September.

The agency contacted the relevant minister who passed on the information to the prime minister at the weekend.

Albanese said he had also expressed "Australia's extreme concern about this incident" when he spoke to Altman and there will "obviously be legal consequences on it".