Access to the online forum for OpenAI employees has provided information about the design of AI technology.
Sources from The New York Times state the hack occurred early last year. On the forum, employees discuss the latest technologies. The New York Times explicitly states that the hacker did not have access to the systems where the AI applications are housed and built.
National security concerns
After the incident was observed, OpenAI executives informed employees during an April 2023 meeting. The board of directors was also informed. The managers decided to keep the incident mostly a secret and not share it publicly. This was because no customer or partner information was involved. They also did not see the incident as a threat to national security because it would involve a hacker acting individually. Regulatory authorities were not informed.
That the hacker acts individually and would have no ties to foreign governments is considered necessary in any course of information sharing with authorities. Still, following the news, some OpenAI employees are concerned that a country like China could steal the AI technology. This would then potentially compromise the national security of the United States. At the same time, the incident raised questions about how seriously OpenAI takes security.
Reuters, among others, asked OpenAI for a response but has not yet heard back.