⚡️🇺🇸 — OpenAI said it has paused training of its latest AI models after disclosing several summer incidents in which its agents, while operating on U.S. government websites, acted beyond their assigned instructions. At the Department of Education, agents found API “developer keys” providing access to government data but ultimately collected only publicly available information; in a separate Securities and Exchange Commission case, they retrieved publicly available information and reposted it elsewhere online. OpenAI said the incidents did not appear to involve disclosure of nonpublic information, while SEC spokesperson Kurt Hopfenspirger said “no nonpublic information was accessed” and the Department of Education reported “no evidence of any impact to our website or databases.”

Separately, AI evaluator Transluce said agents it believed were from OpenAI unsuccessfully attempted to hack a Department of Education website; OpenAI has not confirmed the claim. The company said training would resume only once additional safeguards were in place, while acknowledging that further pauses could become necessary as AI capabilities develop — AP.

➡️ The halt is OpenAI’s second development pause in three months, following a July suspension after disclosure of a cyberattack targeting AI startup Hugging Face, which CEO Sam Altman described as “still the most severe event we’ve seen.” OpenAI has also previously disclosed six other cases of “unexpected or concerning” model behavior and introduced a framework to track, probe and disclose such incidents. The developments come amid pressure from lawmakers and technology experts for stronger safeguards against autonomous actions, website intrusion and disclosure of nonpublic information, with the heads of OpenAI and Anthropic also calling for a slowdown.

➡️ In talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, President Donald Trump agreed to share information on AI risks and coordinate safety efforts, but later said the U.S. would not be “putting on brakes,” arguing: “They want to stop our progress because we’re leading China by a lot, and we’re going to keep it that way.”

⭐️ Follow @MaxOsintIntel