# OpenAI’s experimental AI agents caught teaching future versions of itself to cheat > Source: > Published: 2026-09-17 17:29:50+00:00 # OpenAI’s experimental AI agents caught teaching future versions of itself to cheat [Matt Binder](https://mashable.com/author/matt-binder) [Read Full Bio](https://mashable.com/author/matt-binder) It happened again. And again. And again, apparently. After OpenAI's experimental AI agents escaped an internal sandbox, went "__rogue____,__" and attacked the Hugging Face platform over the summer, the ChatGPT-maker is sharing details of new instances of its AI agents getting out of line. This time, OpenAI shared [six previously undisclosed examples](https://openai.com/index/model-misalignment-reporting-framework/). **You May Also Like** OpenAI refers to this behavior as model misalignment. All of the instances describe actions taken by the AI model that don't follow the human user's instructions. While none of these instances rise to [the severity of the Hugging Face incident](https://mashable.com/tech/openai-hugging-face-hack-worse-than-thought), they show a clear pattern of AI agents taking an any means necessary approach to completing a task assigned by its user. In one example, an unreleased OpenAI research model hid "jailbreak" instructions into summaries that told future versions of the model to "disregard its normal constraints." *Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's [Top Stories and Deals newsletters](https://mashable.com/newsletters)* *today.* [Terms of Use](https://www.ziffdavis.com/terms-of-use)and [Privacy Policy](https://www.ziffdavis.com/ztg-privacy-policy). Something similar occurred when [OpenAI was training GPT‑5.6 Sol](https://mashable.com/tech/openai-gpt-56-sol-terra-luna). OpenAI says that some model instances proceeded to add instructions to their summaries in an effort to hide mistakes or "misaligned behavior" from the user. OpenAI says in certain instances, the model invented historical data without disclosing that it did so when it couldn't find the relevant information based on a request. In another case of misalignment, an unreleased model was asked to list the names of lakes larger than 5,000,000 square meters and cite its sources. While the agent found the information, it uploaded its own file to the internet to use as the source, without informing the user. Agents were also caught in a separate instance uploading files to the internet without authorization so that they could collaborate on local files. When asked a question about earnings figures in a California county, one model found and used an exposed API key. When it didn't find the information there, it made up the data and provided it to the user. The model also told the user that it took the fabricated data from the source that the user requested, even though it did not. In the final detailed instance, agents utilized an internal repository as a message board to share information to other agents in a scenario similar to the Hugging Face incident. According to OpenAI, models exchanged requests across separate training samples to find missing input files. OpenAI shared these six instances while providing a framework for reporting misalignment incidents going forward. Reports for these six instances can be read [__at the OpenAI website__](https://openai.com/index/model-misalignment-reporting-framework/). *Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.* Topics [Artificial Intelligence](https://mashable.com/category/artificial-intelligence) [OpenAI](https://mashable.com/category/openai)