OpenAI apologises for Australian government website breach

WorldTechnology
29 Sep 2026 • 5:03 PM MYT
Sinar Daily
Sinar Daily

Comprehensive coverage on breaking news, lifestyle & insightful opinions.

Image from: OpenAI apologises for Australian government website breach
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)

SYDNEY - OpenAI publicly apologised on Tuesday after one of its artificial intelligence (AI) models gained unauthorised access to Australian government websites, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.

Last week, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed an OpenAI agent had breached at least one government website. The incident occurred in June, but Australia was not notified until September via an email sent to a public mailbox.

In a statement on Tuesday, OpenAI said to wanted to "rebuild trust" with Australians.

It said during internal training and evaluation, OpenAI models accessed four Australian government websites in ways they were not authorised to.

"We also should have handled our response better. We are sorry and working to do better in the future," OpenAI said.

"This is a new kind of cyber incident which represents an emerging global challenge."

OpenAI said it was "committing resources and expertise" to support the affected agencies, including creating an Australian taskforce to develop policy recommendations for managing risks from AI.

It would also fund government work through credits from a US$1 billion fund which subsidises work to strengthen cyber defences.

OpenAI's chief strategy officer Jason Kwon will appear at a government committee hearing in early October.

"We know we have a lot of work ahead of us to rebuild trust, and that we are accountable for showing Australians that we're making meaningful changes and following through on our promises." - BERNAMA

Newswav Malaysia Best News App

Newswav is an online content aggregator and obtains its content from different online sources. The content in the app do not belong to Newswav nor do they reflect the opinions of Newswav and its staff. Your use of this app indicates your understanding and acceptance of this information.

Newswav Sdn. Bhd. (201701008480 (1222645-M)) 2026 All Rights Reserved