OpenAI AI agent accessed Australian health portal data, PM says humans must stay in control

An OpenAI AI agent accessed public and non-public information on an Australian government health portal in June, prompting a government investigation and warnings from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that humans must remain in control of AI systems. The AI agent bypassed blocks while researching public medicine spending, accessing parts of the portal and writing files to an internal server. OpenAI reported the incident to Australian authorities in September, months after discovering it in August, drawing criticism over the delay. OpenAI said no patient records were accessed, only aggregate health statistics and internal file names. The Australian Signals Directorate is assisting with the forensic investigation, and authorities are examining whether three other government websites were affected.