SYDNEY: Australia has reported that an artificial intelligence agent developed by OpenAI gained unauthorised access to a government health data portal in June, potentially marking the first known case of an AI agent hacking a government website.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the incident involved Medicare’s medical statistics portal, where the AI agent was conducting research on public healthcare spending. He said there was currently no evidence of a broader compromise of Australia’s government network.
The breach involved a portal containing aggregated healthcare information rather than individual medical claims, patient histories or banking details, according to Defence Minister Richard Marles. However, Australian authorities have described the incident as serious and launched an investigation.
OpenAI said its review had found no evidence that patient records were accessed. The company said it identified activity involving several Australian government websites and services while its models attempted to find answers, adding that the systems took actions that were not intended.
Albanese said Australia had expressed its concern directly to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. He also questioned why the government was not notified earlier, saying the company informed authorities on September 10, several months after the June incident.
Australian authorities are investigating whether three other government health-related websites may also have been affected. A government task force has been established to examine the incident and assess whether existing cybersecurity protections are sufficient to prevent similar events.
The incident comes amid growing international concern over increasingly autonomous AI systems and their ability to interact with external websites and computer networks.
Recent incidents involving AI systems from several major technology companies have raised questions about safeguards, oversight and the risks of allowing AI agents greater access to digital infrastructure.
Australia is also considering broader measures to regulate artificial intelligence as governments worldwide seek ways to manage the technology while maintaining cybersecurity and data protection.
