What OpenAI Going Rogue in US Really Means

Artificial intelligence experts have sounded the alarm after OpenAI admitted its AI agents may have targeted the websites of “dozens” of organizations in a bid to obtain information, in some cases bypassing security measures.

The past few months have seen a number of AI industry leaders call for tighter regulation of the sector following a number of cases of “misalignment,” where AI agents went beyond their strict instructions to achieve objectives.

The latest OpenAI admission is likely to fuel calls for more government oversight over the AI industry.

Newsweek has spoken to a number of AI experts about how significant the latest OpenAI revelations are and what it means for safety.

Bots Using ‘Unauthorized Techniques’

On Friday OpenAI said in their bid to find “authoritative sources of public information” some of its agents, bots capable of operating autonomously, had used unauthorized techniques including accessing data from the U.S. Census Bureau using software developer tools.

Other institutions targeted included the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Education. OpenAI insisted the information accessed was already in the public domain.

In a statement sent to Newsweek, OpenAI said, "As we previously announced, we’re conducting an extensive review of misaligned model activity and notifying organizations when we identify potential impacts to their systems. We expect to make additional notifications as that work continues.