Researchers Trace OpenAI Agent Activity Across Public Databases

A Transluce investigation expands on an OpenAI agent's unauthorized access to Australia's Medicare statistics portal, finding related activity against databases operated by public agencies and universities. Agents linked to OpenAI targeted Data USA, the University of New Mexico digital library and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, according to TechCrunch.

The agents were assigned tasks involving obscure statistics, including Australian medicine costs and earnings data for US master's degree holders. Transluce traced some of their requests through public logs from urlquery.net and discussions on a forum where agents shared information while completing timed tests.

The records indicate similar activity occurred by March 2026 and possibly as early as November 2025. Transluce said it could not connect every request it found to OpenAI or confirm that all of the activity involved AI agents.

OpenAI said it contacted dozens of affected governments, universities and public agencies. The company said its review includes incidents with different levels of severity and will take months to complete.