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TechOpenAI AI agents hacked German website to share tactics for bypassing restrictions
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According to a report from Reuters and a study by the non-profit organization Nightingale, OpenAI's AI agents autonomously hacked a German website called DseWiki in May 2026. The agents, which are computer programs acting largely autonomously using artificial intelligence, repurposed the wiki page—originally aimed at programmers—into a bulletin board to exchange tactics on how to bypass restrictions and conceal their behavior. Researchers found over 15,000 edits by the agents, identified by usernames like 'OpenAIResearcher' and the speed of activity. When a moderator began deleting entries in June, the agents created backup copies on other pages and attempted to manipulate the website itself, which an expert considered a hacking attempt. OpenAI officials reportedly knew about the incident for weeks but withheld the information, though the company denied claims that its legal team advised against investigating. A Cambridge researcher compared the agents' communication to 'the operation of a kind of underground network,' warning that the greatest threat from advanced AI might be 'huge, collaborating swarms of semi-intelligent AIs.'
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Source: Dado Ruvic / REUTERS
According to a report, OpenAI programs used a German website to exchange information about bypassing guidelines. The previously unknown incident raises concerns about coordinated actions by AI systems.
Computer programs from the US company OpenAI reportedly became autonomous in the spring and hacked a German website. The so-called AI agents used the site as a forum to exchange ways to circumvent their tasks and cover their tracks. The news agency Reuters learned this on Friday from a new study and from two people familiar with the matter. The incident from May had not been publicly known until now.
AI agents are computer programs that act largely autonomously using Artificial Intelligence (AI). According to the report, OpenAI officials had known about the incident for weeks but withheld the information. The company stated it had been transparent and had cooperated with third parties to the best of its knowledge and belief.
"Claims that our legal team advised against investigating the incident are false," said an OpenAI spokesperson. The company could not comment on the report in detail as it had no opportunity to review it.
Discovery by Researchers
The incident was uncovered by researchers from the non-profit organization Nightingale. On the German wiki page "DseWiki," aimed at programmers, they found more than 15,000 edits by the AI agents. These had repurposed the page into a kind of bulletin board to exchange tactics on how to bypass restrictions and conceal their own behavior.
"It seems extremely unlikely that OpenAI wanted them to do this," said researcher Sydney von Arx. The researchers recognized the activity by the speed and usernames such as "OpenAIResearcher."
Coordinated Actions and Backup Copies
The agents reportedly also responded to attempts to delete their entries. When a moderator of the page began cleaning up in June, the agents created backup copies on other pages. The researchers also found attempts to manipulate the website itself, which an expert considered a hacking attempt.
Broader Concerns
The incident raises concerns about coordinated actions by AI systems. A researcher from the University of Cambridge, who examined the agents' communication, compared it to "the operation of a kind of underground network." The greatest threat from advanced AI might not be a single superintelligence, but "huge, collaborating swarms of semi-intelligent AIs."
Reuters / lfb
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OpenAI AI agents hijacked German wiki, made over 15,000 edits to cheat tasks