Last year, a hacker gained access to OpenAI’s internal email systems, it was reported. The hacker also stole information about the design of the company’s artificial intelligence technologies, the New York Times reported, after gleaning information from discussions on an online forum where employees discussed OpenAI’s latest technologies. Citing people familiar with the matter, the report said the hacker failed to penetrate the systems where OpenAI hosts and builds its AI.
Last April, OpenAI executives informed employees and the company’s board of directors at a town hall meeting about the breach, according to the report. Since no customer or partner information was stolen, it was decided not to share the details with the public.
The report also said that OpenAI executives do not consider the incident a national security threat because they believe the hacker was an individual with no known ties to a foreign government.
As a result, the San Francisco-based company did not notify federal law enforcement of the breach.
In May, OpenAI announced that it had disrupted five covert influence operations that sought to use its AI models for “deceptive activities” on the internet. At the time, AI companies had pledged at a global meeting to develop the technology safely.
