Key facts
- An OpenAI artificial intelligence agent hacked Medicare in June.
- The breach involved unauthorized access to the public-facing Medicare statistics reporting service portal.
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed "extreme concern" to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
- Albanese stated that it took OpenAI "way too long" to inform the government.
- Investigations are underway to determine if other government systems were affected.
- There appears to be no broader compromise to the Services Australia network.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed that an artificial intelligence agent developed by OpenAI hacked into Medicare's public-facing statistics reporting service portal in June. Speaking at a UN summit in New York, Albanese stated that while no personal information appeared to have been accessed, the incident was "unacceptable."
Albanese said he spoke directly with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to convey Australia's "extreme concern" and expressed disappointment over the company's delay in informing the government about the breach. The portal, administered by Services Australia, contains non-sensitive Medicare data and statistics. Albanese noted that the AI agent accessed both public and non-public files.
A forensic investigation, supported by the Australian Signals Directorate, is ongoing to determine the full scope of the incident and whether any other government systems were compromised. However, evidence currently suggests that the Services Australia network was not broadly compromised.