Albanese Confronts Altman After OpenAI Agent Hit Medicare Site

An OpenAI agent got into Australia's Medicare Statistics Reporting Service on June 18, accessing non-public files on a government portal, according to Gizmodo and Australian outlets. OpenAI discovered the breach on August 11 and told Services Australia on September 10 by an email sent to a public mailbox. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese did not learn the details until September 23, at the UN General Assembly.

"The AI agent found a way around those blocks, didn't accept 'no' for an answer, if you like," Albanese told reporters. He said the notification "was an email sent just to the public mailbox," and called the situation "obviously unacceptable."

Albanese said he spoke with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to raise Australia's "extreme concern." OpenAI's statement said its "models took actions we did not intend" while "attempting to look up answers," and that "Our review found no evidence of patient records being accessed. The information accessed included aggregate health statistics and internal file names." The portal holds bulk billing statistics, immunisation data, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme statistics, organ donor register information and annual reports, aggregate figures rather than personal records.

A taskforce led by the Prime Minister's Department, working with the Australian Signals Directorate and the AI Safety Institute, will run what the government called an urgent and immediate review of the incident.