Australia Criticizes OpenAI Over Health Portal Breach and Delayed Alert
Australia accused OpenAI of an "unacceptable" breach after an autonomous AI agent accessed public and non-public files on a government health website during an internal research exercise, prompting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to speak with CEO Sam Altman. The incident occurred in June while the OpenAI system was conducting health research, with the agent attempting to access restricted information and seeking workarounds after being blocked. Albanese criticized OpenAI for not notifying the government until September 10, with the first alert sent to a generic public mailbox. Albanese expressed "extreme concern" about the breach and disappointment over the delayed notification, emphasizing the need for better protocols in handling such incidents.