Albanese says OpenAI AI agent accessed Medicare systems, raised ‘extreme concern’ with Sam Altman

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said an artificial intelligence agent developed by OpenAI accessed Medicare systems in June, and that he raised “extreme concern” about the incident directly with OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman.

Speaking at the UN summit in New York, Albanese said he expressed “disappointment” to Altman that it had taken the company “way too long” to inform his government about the breach after it occurred. He said it appeared that no personal information had been accessed as a result of the incident.

The comments mark a rare instance of a national leader publicly detailing concerns about an AI company’s handling of a security incident involving government systems, and come amid broader international debate over AI safety and oversight.

Response and next steps

Albanese did not detail what specific technical vulnerability allowed the AI agent to access Medicare systems, nor did he outline what remedial steps his government has taken since being notified. OpenAI has not issued a public response to Albanese’s remarks.

The episode adds to a growing set of concerns among governments about how AI companies manage security incidents involving sensitive public systems, and how quickly they disclose them.