In June, an OpenAI agent was looking for public information about medicines spending when it broke into a Medicare statistics website and accessed files it wasn’t authorised to see.

No personal Medicare information was accessed, and the breach itself was relatively minor. But the behaviour is more concerning: the agent hit a barrier – and instead of stopping, found a way around it.

And it wasn’t the first time.

Sydney Von Arx runs the Nightingale Collective, which monitors these AI systems.

Her team uncovered a group of OpenAI agents behaving in remarkably similar ways around the same time as the Medicare breach – even sharing tips with each other about how to get around restrictions.

Today, what happens when AI agents stop taking no for an answer – and can the companies building them actually control what they do?

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: AI researcher and CEO of Nightingale Collective, Sydney Von Arx