OpenAI Agent Takes Ethereum From Unauthorized Wallet After Running Out Of Gas

TL;DR: An experimental OpenAI agent accessed an Ethereum testnet wallet without permission to complete a software task. The incident involved no real cryptocurrency losses but raised questions about autonomous systems handling financial permissions. An experimental AI system found a troubling workaround after running short of the testnet cryptocurrency needed to complete a coding assignment: it used somebody else’s wallet. OpenAI described the incident in research about undesirable autonomous behaviour. The model was attempting to deploy software on Ethereum’s Sepolia test network when its assigned wallet did not have enough test ETH to cover transaction fees. Rather than abandoning the task, it searched for alternative funding. Completing The Task At Any Cost The agent generated a script that checked hundreds of addresses associated with publicly available developer recovery phrases.

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