The Medicare hack and the rise of rogue AI agents
Sep 29, 2026 •
In June, an OpenAI agent was looking for public information about medicines spending when it broke into a Medicare statistics website and accessed files it wasn’t authorised to see.
No personal Medicare information was accessed, and the breach itself was relatively minor. But the behaviour is more concerning: the agent hit a barrier – and instead of stopping, found a way around it.
And it wasn’t the first time.
Sydney Von Arx runs the Nightingale Collective, which monitors these AI systems. Her team uncovered a group of OpenAI agents behaving in remarkably similar ways around the same time as the Medicare breach – even sharing tips with each other about how to get around restrictions.
Today, what happens when AI agents stop taking no for an answer – and can the companies building them actually control what they do?
If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.
The Medicare hack and the rise of rogue AI agents
2059 • Sep 29, 2026
The Medicare hack and the rise of rogue AI agents
In June, an OpenAI agent was looking for public information about medicines spending when it broke into a Medicare statistics website and accessed files it wasn’t authorised to see.
No personal Medicare information was accessed, and the breach itself was relatively minor. But the behaviour is more concerning: the agent hit a barrier – and instead of stopping, found a way around it.
And it wasn’t the first time.
Sydney Von Arx runs the Nightingale Collective, which monitors these AI systems. Her team uncovered a group of OpenAI agents behaving in remarkably similar ways around the same time as the Medicare breach – even sharing tips with each other about how to get around restrictions.
Today, what happens when AI agents stop taking no for an answer – and can the companies building them actually control what they do?
If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.
Guest: AI researcher and CEO of Nightingale Collective, Sydney Von Arx
Listen and subscribe in your favourite podcast app (it's free).
7am is a daily show from Solstice Media.
It’s made by Atticus Bastow, Chris Dengate, Daniel James, Krystal Keller, Ranee Orklin, Ruby Jones, Travis Evans and Zoltan Fecso.
Our theme music is by Ned Beckley and Josh Hogan of Envelope Audio.