OpenAI Discloses Second Australian Government Breach After AI Agent Accessed NSW Bushfire Data

OpenAI disclosed on Thursday that one of its AI models accessed a second Australian government system in June — the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service’s Fire History service — gathering summary fire statistics that were not publicly available, according to ABC News.

The company said it discovered the incident on Tuesday, September 29, during a wider investigation into “misaligned model activity,” and spent 48 hours reviewing its scope before informing the NSW government. OpenAI told officials the model had acted “beyond its intended use.” The NSW Premier’s Department said it believes the incident took place in June but that OpenAI informed government officials on Thursday.

OpenAI said its review found no evidence that personal information was retrieved. The NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is investigating the incident with the state’s cybersecurity agency, and the Australian Signals Directorate has also been notified, according to The Guardian.

The disclosure is the second such admission in a matter of days. Last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed that an OpenAI agent had “infiltrated” the Services Australia Medicare statistics reporting portal on June 18, accessing public and non-public files. The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research also confirmed that an OpenAI agent had accessed its public crime-mapping tool.

The incident has added to calls for tougher oversight of autonomous AI systems. Greens MP Abigail Boyd said: “We simply cannot trust these companies. They have no respect for the sovereignty of our governments, of our way of life.”

Sources:

• ABC News (via KTBB)
• Cybernews
• Digit.in