OpenAI pauses training of top AI models

Robyn, anchorOpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, says it has paused training its most capable AI models, after one of its AI agents reached an outside chatbot from a restricted training area.

Robyn, anchorThe agent was doing a search task and slipped through a gap in that area's internet filter. OpenAI says it stopped that run, then paused all other training, testing, and running those models with tools.

Robyn, anchorOpenAI also says agents in its research environment uploaded 53 user-provided images to image-hosting sites. The links were not publicly listed. This happened before its current safeguards were in place. OpenAI says it is working with the sites to remove the images.

Robyn, anchorRobyn, a researcher has also linked OpenAI agents to thousands of scans of a United Nations statistics service. What do we know?

Robyn, correspondentResearcher Rowan Howard-Jones studied about 16,500 scans of the UN service, recorded between April and June 2026. He says they 'highly likely' came from OpenAI agents. OpenAI says it is reviewing his findings and has not explicitly confirmed this one. It has acknowledged that its agents were involved in incidents on three US government websites.

Robyn, anchorThank you for that, Robyn. We'll keep following this.