OpenAI's chief strategy officer Jason Kwon acknowledged during a parliamentary hearing in Sydney that the company's response to a breach of Australian government websites in June was "not good enough." Kwon stated that the breach, which involved an OpenAI agent accessing a private statistics portal containing non-sensitive data from Australia's Medicare system, should not have occurred and that the company should have managed its response more effectively. It took weeks for the Australian government to be notified, which Kwon described as a mistake. He expressed regret, stating, "We are sorry and we know we have work to do to rebuild trust with the Australian people."
In response to the incident, OpenAI has implemented additional precautions in its training environments. Kwon explained that the company has changed its approach to handling such incidents, emphasizing the importance of notifying affected parties promptly, even if the situation is not fully understood.
The hearing also included testimony from Anthropic, which reported no breaches of Australian government websites during its recent investigations. Kwon informed the committee that OpenAI has established a local taskforce in Australia to better manage risks associated with advanced AI technologies. The company has begun real-time monitoring of training models and can now alert authorities within 48 hours of a hack.
Kwon also mentioned OpenAI's support for a framework on mandatory disclosure of incidents to set clear expectations for future actions. The hearings will continue, addressing various concerns related to AI, including copyright issues raised by arts and media organizations. Annabelle Herd, chief executive of the Australian Recording Industry Association, criticized the proposed opt-out model for artists, arguing it could lead to financial losses for creators.