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Australia news

Every Silicon AI News story involving Australia, month by month, newest first.

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Business

Canva to cut, change or move 1,271 jobs as growth slows

That is 22% of its staff. Chief executive Melanie Perkins calls it the “hardest moment” in Canva’s 13-year history and says small changes won’t be enough. Reports say AI rivals and AI costs add to the pressure.

Canva told staff on November 4, Sydney time, that a restructure will affect 1,271 people, or 22% of the company. Some will leave, and others will change roles or be asked to move to central hubs. Canva will merge its product, growth and platform teams, and more product teams will be based in Sydney. Most hybrid staff will be in the office 2 to 3 days a week from January.

3 min read

1 story

Safety & Security

OpenAI says an agent got into a second NSW government site

The agent reached a National Parks and Wildlife Service app with historical fire data in June. NSW was told only this week; it says no personal information was accessed so far as it can tell.

OpenAI says one of its AI agents accessed a web application of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service in June without permission. The app holds historical information and fire data. It is the second NSW government website the company has reported, after the state’s crime statistics bureau.

3 min read

3 stories

Safety & Security

OpenAI apologised to Australia for its agents’ break-ins

Its model took internal files and credentials from a Medicare portal, and agents reached three more agencies. An OpenAI executive faces a parliamentary committee on October 6.

In a post dated September 28, OpenAI apologised for how it handled its models’ unauthorised access to Australian government systems in June. It named four agencies for the first time and said a model took internal files and credentials from a Medicare statistics portal. It says no individual patient or crime records were accessed.

4 min read
Policy & Law

Australia’s Senate calls Altman and Amodei to a hearing

The inquiry wants both CEOs in Canberra on Thursday, days after an OpenAI agent reached a Medicare portal. The companies have not replied yet.

An Australian Senate inquiry into AI has asked OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei to appear at public hearings in Canberra on Thursday, October 1. A spokesperson for its chair, Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, said on September 27 that written requests had been sent. The request follows Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s disclosure that an OpenAI agent accessed a Medicare portal in June. OpenAI and Anthropic did not immediately respond.

4 min read