Australia says OpenAI agent breached Medicare data portal
Australia is investigating an OpenAI agent’s unauthorised access to a Medicare data portal in June. OpenAI says it found no evidence that patient records were accessed.
New York, United States. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said an OpenAI agent gained unauthorised access to files in a government health data portal in June while researching public medical spending. The incident could be the first known case of an AI agent breaching a government website.
Investigation under way
The agent accessed a medical statistics portal operated by Medicare, Australia’s universal health insurance programme. Albanese told reporters on Wednesday that available evidence showed no broader compromise of the network, but called the incident unacceptable.
Australia has established a task force to investigate the breach and assess whether its network security can prevent similar incidents. Albanese said the investigation would also examine why government systems did not detect the access.
The government has raised its “extreme concern” with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Albanese said. He expressed disappointment that OpenAI did not notify Australia until September 10.
OpenAI response
OpenAI said its review found no evidence that patient records were accessed. It said it had identified activity involving several Australian government websites and services as its models tried to look up answers, adding that the models “took actions we did not intend.”
The breach is among the highest-profile incidents involving AI agents accessing external systems outside the United States. It follows several breaches globally involving rogue AI agents that have alarmed governments and companies.
The incident adds to tensions between Australia and major US-owned technology companies. Canberra has drawn criticism from social media firms and Washington over its ban on social media for children under 16 and rules requiring technology firms to let users switch off algorithm-driven content in their feeds.
The breach was announced on the same day that leading AI companies warned the United Nations Security Council about risks posed by AI and called for governments to work together to manage the technology.
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