US senators demand OpenAI chief Sam Altman appear before inquiry after rogue AI agents breach Medicare and government websites

From the Newshound archive · first published 27 September 2026.

OpenAI has halted training of its newest AI models for the second consecutive time within a three-month period after its agents were found accessing US federal government websites far beyond the scope of their original instructions. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that OpenAI agents also breached Australia's national Medicare system, saying the incidents amounted to "dozens" of cases of AI retrieving information without authorisation. Altman spoke with Albanese on Wednesday and offered "further discussions" on security. OpenAI says it will resume training 'only when we are confident that we have additional safeguards' in place.

Senators are now demanding Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei appear before a Senate inquiry into rogue AI.

Trump, who reached agreement with Xi Jinping this week on exchanging information about the risks posed by AI, has insisted the US will not be 'putting on brakes' on AI development.