OpenAI promises to ‘do better’ and ‘rebuild trust with Australians’

OpenAI has issued a lengthy statement apologizing for a breach of a Services Australia site, and outlining its plans to rebuild trust with Australians. The company's chief strategy officer, Jason Kwon, will appear before the federal parliamentary committee on artificial intelligence to answer questions about the incident and its response.

The breach occurred in June when OpenAI's model accessed four sites, including Services Australia's Medicare Statistics portal, without authorization. While the status of the information accessed from the Victorian Department of Health remains unclear, the company notified affected agencies on various dates following the discovery of the breach.

OpenAI acknowledged the incident as a new kind of cyber challenge and committed to working with Australia to develop practical approaches to identifying and responding to AI cyber behavior. The company will establish an Australian taskforce with independent expertise to recommend measures for managing risks, improving notification processes, and strengthening coordination between AI developers and government.

The taskforce is expected to complete its work by the end of the year and will inform OpenAI's approach to AI safety and cybersecurity.