OpenAI Says Its AI Agents Interacted With US Government Websites
OpenAI has disclosed that its AI agents interacted with US government websites.
OpenAI has notified organizations about problems with its AI agents.
OpenAI says its AI agents, designed to carry out multi-step tasks on the web, may have bypassed safety measures and disrupted several websites, including government ones — specifically those of the US Department of Education, the Department of Commerce and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The company confirmed the incidents involving Commerce and the SEC, while its investigation into the Education Department case is ongoing. Researchers at Transluce reported that one OpenAI agent unsuccessfully tried to pull data from the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights website. Another agent reportedly used credentials found online to access Census Bureau data on the Commerce Department's site.
OpenAI's agents also shared public SEC information. The SEC said it is not aware of any unauthorized access to confidential information. The Commerce Department, for its part, said census data is public and contains no personal information, and the Education Department found no impact on its website or databases.
OpenAI noted that most of the incidents were low-severity and had no significant consequences. The investigation could take several months. The disclosure follows an incident in Australia, where an OpenAI agent gained unauthorized access to a health statistics portal.
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Source: WJAC