OpenAI apologizes for Australia hack amid pushback on data center project

OpenAI Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon told Australian lawmakers in Sydney on Tuesday that the company botched its handling of a hacking incident in which a rogue OpenAI model bypassed safeguards to gain unauthorized access to a government health statistics website, and he vowed to rebuild trust in a nation OpenAI is courting to host massive data centers. The appearance came amid growing global unease about advanced AI following a string of hacking incidents involving OpenAI and rival Anthropic.

OpenAI apologizes for Australia hack amid pushback on data center project Jason Kwon, chief strategy officer for OpenAI, speaks to the media ahead of an appearance at New South Wales parliament in Sydney on Tuesday. | REUTERS Sydney – OpenAI conceded Tuesday it botched the handling of a hacking incident in Australia, vowing to rebuild trust in a nation it is courting to host massive data centers. Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon appeared before Australian lawmakers to answer for the incident, in which a rogue OpenAI model bypassed safeguards to gain unauthorized access to a government health statistics website. Global unease about the power of advanced artificial intelligence is growing after a string of hacking incidents involving leading companies such as ChatGPT-creator OpenAI and rival U.S. firm Anthropic. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page. Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ