An artificial intelligence agent developed by OpenAI managed to enter an Australian government system and access public and non-public files, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed this Thursday (24).
The incident occurred in June, but it was only disclosed now. The affected system was linked to Medicare, Australia's public health program. So far, the government has not said which AI model was involved nor detailed the contents of the files accessed.
The revelation places a concrete case of unauthorized access by an AI agent inside a government's digital infrastructure, while technology companies expand these systems' ability to browse the internet, execute code and use tools autonomously.
Extent of the access has not yet been disclosed
It is still unclear how the agent managed to enter the system, how long it remained in the environment or which permissions it obtained during the operation.
There is also no confirmation that individual medical data or citizens' personal information were compromised. The information disclosed so far indicates only that the agent reached public and non-public files.
Albanese revealed the episode while participating in the United Nations General Assembly, in New York. The disclosure comes amid international discussions about controls for advanced AI systems and the risks associated with agents capable of executing tasks with less human supervision.
The case should gain new details as the Australian government and OpenAI clarify the circumstances of the access, the model involved and the nature of the files reached.
