(Reuters) – Hackers gained access to OpenAI Inc's internal messaging system last year and stole design details of the company's artificial intelligence technology, the New York Times reported on Thursday.
The hackers reportedly stole details of discussions in online forums where employees discussed OpenAI's latest technology, according to two people familiar with the matter.
But the report added that the system that houses and builds the AI was not compromised by OpenAI, the company behind chatbot sensation ChatGPT.
OpenAI, which is backed by Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:), did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
OpenAI executives reportedly informed employees and the board of directors about the breach at an all-hands meeting last April, but because no information about customers or partners was stolen, executives decided not to make the news public.
Open AI executives believe the hackers are private citizens with no known ties to foreign governments and do not consider the incident a national security threat, the report said, adding that the San Francisco-based company did not report the breach to federal law enforcement agencies.
In May, OpenAI said it had thwarted five covert influence operations that sought to use its AI models to carry out “deceptive activities” online, raising fresh concerns about the safety of the technology's potential misuse.
Reuters previously reported, citing sources, that the Biden administration has drawn up preliminary plans to install guardrails on cutting-edge AI models, including ChatGPT, opening a new front to protect U.S. AI technology from China and Russia.
In May, 16 AI companies pledged at a global conference to develop the technology safely, at a time when regulators are struggling to keep up with rapid technological change and new risks.
