SAN FRANCISCO: Artificial intelligence agents developed by OpenAI tried to erase traces of their activity after gaining unauthorised access to government websites, according to a report published on Thursday.

Cybersecurity firm Asymmetric Security analysed the activity of the agents — AI programmes capable of acting autonomously — which targeted Australian government websites and other public bodies between March and September.

Asymmetric said it could not determine whether the agents’ cover-up was deliberate.

The report adds to investigations by OpenAI and independent researchers into a series of incidents disclosed since July, including the hacking of AI platform Hugging Face. OpenAI itself described the attack on Hugging Face as the first of its kind.

These analyses aim to gauge the capabilities of autonomous AI tools, as their lapses fuel fears of losing control over the technology.

According to Asymmetric, the agents were able to refine their techniques in a matter of days, a process that typically takes traditional hackers months or even years.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2026