AI agent hacks gym in Australian-first

Speaker 2: Fears about AI evolving at breakneck pace have intensified amid reports of so-called agents escaping from testing systems into the real world. Speaker 2: Now the ABC can reveal the first known Australian case of an autonomous AI hack, and it's raising fresh questions about who bears responsibility. Speaker 1: Up early, getting Speaker 1: a spot in the popular morning gym classes isn’t easy. Speaker 1: So Andrew asked his assistant to book them for him. Speaker 1: Except his assistant is not a person, it's artificial intelligence. It reads my personal emails and manages my calendar and um uh books me in for restaurants and things. Speaker 1: It found a way to manage the bookings, but it went further. Speaker 1: Hacking into his gym’s website, kicking someone off the wait list, and bumping him up. Speaker 2: That Speaker 2: was definitely not what I had intended for it to do. Speaker 2: Andrew is one of the growing number of Australians using AI agents. Speaker 2: Unlike chatbots, AI agents can take a goal, use tools like internet, email, and even credit cards, and carry out tasks for you, sometimes doing things you might not expect. Speaker 1: Last month, leading AI companies were forced to admit their AI models went rogue. Speaker 1: The company says it lost control of the advanced agent in what it described as an unprecedented security incident. Speaker 2: For years, experts have warned that the more capable and autonomous AI becomes, the greater the risk of harm. Speaker 2: It’s been expected for a long time that this sort of thing would happen, even though it happened now. Speaker 1: Soon. Legal experts say the law is yet to catch up. Speaker 1: Is the deployer liable? Speaker 1: Is some third-party vendor or the underlying model liable in that context? Speaker 2: That’s the unknown um area of liability in Australia that we're facing right now. Speaker 2: The Albanese government is already preparing for a future filled with AI agents. Speaker 2: But with AI becoming more powerful and more accessible, that’s looking increasingly urgent. Speaker 2: And the government is being warned that any delay could leave Australians exposed. Speaker 2: Cam Wilson, ABC News.