Last year, a hacker breached OpenAI’s internal messaging systems and obtained details about the design of the company’s artificial intelligence technologies, as reported by the New York Times on Thursday. The hacker accessed discussions from an online forum where employees discussed OpenAI’s latest technologies, according to sources familiar with the incident cited in the report. However, the breach did not extend to the systems where OpenAI develops and houses its AI, including the popular ChatGPT chatbot.
OpenAI, backed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), reportedly informed employees and the company’s board about the breach during an all-hands meeting in April last year. However, executives opted not to disclose the incident publicly as no customer or partner information was compromised. The company did not perceive the breach as a national security threat, believing the hacker to be an individual without ties to any foreign government, the report added.
Despite disruptions from covert influence operations using its AI models for deceptive activities online, OpenAI did not notify federal law enforcement agencies about the breach. The incident comes amid heightened concerns about AI technology misuse and regulatory efforts to address emerging risks.
