Recently, an OpenAI agent allegedly hacked into a website run by the Australian government, apparently in order to access statistical data. While the hack did not seem to compromise any Australians ' personal data, it has obviously consumed a good deal of time of Australia's public servants and exposed the irresponsibility of OpenAI, who took more than a month to disclose the incident by using a public inbox, an inappropriate response by one of the most influential conglomerates in the world.
Currently, the Australian government is mulling over how to respond, as while this recent July attack thankfully did not result in any major harm to Australian citizens, a future hack could be far more impactful, and unless OpenAI is given more direct incentives to prevent such behavior from its agents, a harmful attack by one of them will be more likely. Furthermore, laws are already on the books for humans who hack into government systems without permission. If a human took similar actions as the OpenAI agent allegedly took, they would be facing up to two years in prison.
Furthermore, beyond Australia itself, such a response could help set an international precedent for establishing liability for AI corporations whose AI agents cause harm. Australia is a developed, English-speaking country, which helps to give its actions relevance on the global stage. Furthermore, due to recent events, more of the world is paying attention to AI governance than ever before, so right now is as good a moment as any to promote accountability in the AI industry.
So what can you do? If you live in Australia, you can contact your representatives electronically by using this tool, which allows you to find your representative in parliament and contact them using their preferred communication method. It would likely be helpful to 1.) request that lawmakers make new criminal penalties for companies that unleash AI agents that cause disruption to digital infrastructure owned by Australian businesses, individuals, or governments, and 2.) request that OpenAI be fined for its agent's attack on an Australian government website.
Recently, an OpenAI agent allegedly hacked into a website run by the Australian government, apparently in order to access statistical data. While the hack did not seem to compromise any Australians ' personal data, it has obviously consumed a good deal of time of Australia's public servants and exposed the irresponsibility of OpenAI, who took more than a month to disclose the incident by using a public inbox, an inappropriate response by one of the most influential conglomerates in the world.
Currently, the Australian government is mulling over how to respond, as while this recent July attack thankfully did not result in any major harm to Australian citizens, a future hack could be far more impactful, and unless OpenAI is given more direct incentives to prevent such behavior from its agents, a harmful attack by one of them will be more likely. Furthermore, laws are already on the books for humans who hack into government systems without permission. If a human took similar actions as the OpenAI agent allegedly took, they would be facing up to two years in prison.
Furthermore, beyond Australia itself, such a response could help set an international precedent for establishing liability for AI corporations whose AI agents cause harm. Australia is a developed, English-speaking country, which helps to give its actions relevance on the global stage. Furthermore, due to recent events, more of the world is paying attention to AI governance than ever before, so right now is as good a moment as any to promote accountability in the AI industry.
So what can you do? If you live in Australia, you can contact your representatives electronically by using this tool, which allows you to find your representative in parliament and contact them using their preferred communication method. It would likely be helpful to 1.) request that lawmakers make new criminal penalties for companies that unleash AI agents that cause disruption to digital infrastructure owned by Australian businesses, individuals, or governments, and 2.) request that OpenAI be fined for its agent's attack on an Australian government website.