OpenAI faces scrutiny after AI agent accessed Australian government portal

Tech Written by: Ian Lyall 10:05 Thu 24 Sep 2026 --> Disclaimer No investment advice About this content Editorial Standards & Policies Share article About this content × About Ian Lyall Ian Lyall, a seasoned journalist and editor, brings over three decades of experience to his role as Managing Editor at Proactive. Overseeing Proactive's editorial and broadcast operations across six offices on three continents, Ian is responsible for quality control, editorial policy, and content production. He directs the creation of 50,000 pieces of real-time news, feature articles, and filmed interviews annually. Prior to Proactive, Ian helped lead the business output at the Daily... Read more About the publisher Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and actionable business and finance news content to a global investment audience. All our content is produced independently by our experienced and qualified teams of news journalists. Proactive news team spans the world’s key finance and investing hubs with bureaus and studios in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney and Perth. We are experts in medium and small-cap markets, we also keep our community up to date with blue-chip companies, commodities and broader investment stories. This is content that excites and engages motivated private investors. The team delivers news and unique insights across the market including but not confined to: biotech and pharma, mining and natural resources, battery metals, oil and gas, crypto and emerging digital and EV technologies. Use of technology Proactive has always been a forward looking and enthusiastic technology adopter. Our human content creators are equipped with many decades of valuable expertise and experience. The team also has access to and use technologies to assist and enhance workflows. Proactive will on occasion use automation and software tools, including generative AI. Nevertheless, all content published by Proactive is edited and authored by humans, in line with best practice in regard to content production and search engine optimisation. OpenAI View Price & Profile OpenAI faces scrutiny after AI agent accessed Australian government portal Published: 10:05 24 Sep 2026 EDT An artificial intelligence (AI) agent developed by OpenAI gained unauthorized access to Australia's Medicare Statistics Reporting Service portal on June 18, prompting concern from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The agent accessed both public and non-public files on the portal, which is administered by Services Australia. Albanese said there was no evidence that personal Medicare information had been accessed, while a forensic investigation remains under way. He criticised the delay in disclosure, saying that OpenAI only informed authorities on September 10, nearly three months after the incident. OpenAI said the activity occurred during an internal evaluation in which its models were attempting to find information about Australian health data. A spokesperson admitted the systems “took actions we did not intend” and said the review found no evidence that patient records were accessed. The company said it only became aware of the incident in August, when reviewing what it described as “misaligned model activity”. The incident highlights concerns about AI agents that can perform multistep tasks and interact with external websites with limited human oversight. Similar incidents have been reported before, including attempts by OpenAI models to break into a US university library and Data USA. Albanese said he raised Australia’s “extreme concern” directly with OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman. The company’s broader review of its agents remains ongoing. Continue reading