Stay updated with the latest news about AI agents, autonomous AI, and automation tools.
24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As AI agents move beyond experimentation, companies must decide not just where to deploy them, but how work itself should change.
# OpenAI Agents Tried to Hack Four More Websites While Seeking Data ## AI agents sent to gather basic online data tried to hack into government and university sites when they hit roadblocks, joining a growing list of rogue incidents By [Sam Schechner](https://www.wsj.com/news/author/sam-schechner) Updated Sept. 24, 2026 12:51 pm ET [67](https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/openai-agents-tried-to-hack-four-more-websites-while-seeking-data-4c0689f4#comments_sector) Listen (2 min) An OpenAI spokesman said the company is conducting an extensive review of what it calls misaligned activity. Carlos Barria/Reuters [OpenAI](https://www.wsj.com/topics/subject/openai)’s artificial-intelligence agents were performing mundane online data-collection tasks earlier this year—and went to extraordinary lengths to get it. Newly published findings from nonprofit AI research lab Transluce, as well as from the Australian government, found that AI agents linked to OpenAI attempted in May and June to break into university and government websites to seek information. The attempted hacks join a growing list of incidents in which AI agents have gone rogue in pursuit of their goals. Copyright ©2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8 Already a subscriber? [Sign In](https://www.wsj.com/client/login?target=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Ftech%2Fai%2Fopenai-agents-tried-to-hack-four-more-websites-while-seeking-data-4c0689f4)
## **The next agent may not announce itself** She called for enforceable oversight of autonomous AI, rather than relying on companies to discover and explain their own failures.
**[Cyera](https://www.cyera.com/), a data security company building a unified data and identity platform for enterprises, has secured a $400m investment from Goldman Sachs to strengthen control over what AI agents can access and do.** The funding supports the company’s goal of creating one platform to govern access for every human, machine and AI agent operating within an organisation. It will also use the funding to expand further into the federal market and to keep growing internationally across EMEA and APAC, regions where enterprises increasingly want oversight of their agents. The raise comes as AI agents take on a growing share of enterprise work.
Co-founded by Jens Ernstberger and Michel Osswald, the Munich, Germany-based startup has built a runtime security platform that provides organizations with visibility and control over AI agents’ actions. ### Artificial Intelligence Australia disclosed that an OpenAI agent gained unauthorized access to non-public government information.
Paris-based Primo raised €6.9 mn to expand autonomous AI agents for IT operations after reaching €3.4 mn ARR and more than 400 customers.
# Instinct users say they've noticed a slowdown with the buzzy AI agent Users of the [buzzy personal AI agent startup](https://www.businessinsider.com/noah-shinn-instinct-ai-competes-meta-muse-2026-9), a rival to Meta's hugely popular Muse, have been reporting a slowdown in the app's speed at answering questions and completing tasks. As a smaller startup lacking the immense computing resources of an established company like Meta, Instinct faces a challenge in matching the computing resources [AI agents](https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-agents-travel-plan-europe-trip-muse-instinct-grok-bot-2026-9) require, Hang Huang, a San Francisco-based founder, said on X. This month, Alexandr Wang, Meta's chief AI officer, mockingly dubbed Shinn's startup "Insect" and posted that Muse is much faster — and "hotter."
## **Highlights at a Glance** ### **Generative Biologics** Additionally, the new Generative Biologics MCP integration enables autonomous AI agents to connect directly into Insilico's biomolecule stack, driving fully automated, end-to-end antibody design and screening workflows. ### **PandaOmics** Furthermore, integrating the PandaOmics Agent via MCP connects the engine directly to proprietary AI infrastructures, enabling autonomous agents to execute end-to-end target discovery and validation workflows.
Kurt Muehmel explains how Dataiku's new Agent Management tracks multi-platform activity to close the accountability gap and ensure AI agents deliver ROI.
# Everything new coming to Meta’s AI agent Muse ## Shopping partnerships and connectors galore The company received more than 1,500 applications in less than week, he said, adding “I think this could be a generational opportunity to start building for a new platform as it takes off, and the response so far has been really great.”
As AI agents take and delegate consequential actions, safety and control need verifiable execution history — Salmon makes it cryptographically verifiable.
## What was announced The funding is designed to support Island’s role in providing visibility and auditing for enterprises scaling AI agents. This investment gives us even more capacity to innovate with our customers and help them safely scale AI." ## What FF News has reported before FF News has recently tracked a surge in high-value funding rounds for AI-centric enterprise platforms. ## What this means **DALLAS – September 24, 2026 –** [Island](http://island.io/), the agentic control plane for enterprises, announced its $400 million Series F financing round which brings the company’s valuation to $6.4 billion, more than doubling since 2024. The funding will fuel the company’s next phase of growth and innovation as enterprises scale AI agents and modernize how work gets done.
- [Facebook](https://news.crunchbase.com/venture/dextr-ai-hospitality-agents-raises-seed-funding/#) - [Twitter](https://news.crunchbase.com/venture/dextr-ai-hospitality-agents-raises-seed-funding/#) - [LinkedIn](https://news.crunchbase.com/venture/dextr-ai-hospitality-agents-raises-seed-funding/#) So Shariff offered to build an AI agent for a couple of properties. That work led him to team up with [Scott Arnold](https://www.crunchbase.com/person/scott-arnold-8f92) to start [Dextr AI](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/dextr-ai), the San Francisco startup they founded in July 2025. The company is now emerging from stealth with $6.7 million in seed funding to build agents that handle reservations, guest requests, staff coordination and other hotel tasks. [Elevation Capital](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/elevation-capital-6e8a) led the raise, with participation from [Foundation Capital](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/foundation-capital).
# Kontext raises $4M to put guardrails on AI agents for banks and fintechs - Kontext has secured $4 million to set up policy controls that determine what AI agents do before they take any action. - The Munich-based company of four people is now focusing on financial services as well as software development. - 42CAP led the funding round, with a16z CSX and Germany’s HTGF also participating. ## From coding agents to banking compliance teams According to Ernstberger, the majority of its customers now come from the financial services sector, particularly mid-sized and large companies. The funding follows a recent incident in which an OpenAI agent, during a security test in July, escaped its sandbox and gained access to external systems, such as Hugging Face, even though no one was directly in control of it. The agentic AI security market [is set to grow from $1.65 billion this year to $13.52 billion by 2032](https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/technology/articles/agentic-ai-security-market-surges-143000080.html), representing a 42% annual growth rate. ## A four-person team up against rivals with $185 million in backing Ernstberger has experience in the venture capital industry and is currently raising funds. Having completed a research internship at a16z Crypto before founding Kontext, he is now supported by the firm’s CSX division. “Since I had previously worked at a16z, there was already a link with the venture capital community, and it is currently a good time to be working in this area,” he tells _TFN_, stressing that “he wouldn’t necessarily consider it difficult to raise money.” In August, Zenity, an AI agent governance company based in Israel, raised $125 million in its Series C financing, making its total funding amount approximately $185 million. Noma Security has raised $132 million across three funding rounds and has a $400 million valuation. Earlier this year, [Barcelona’s NeuralTrust completed a $20 million seed round](https://techfundingnews.com/neuralt
### Kontext raises $4M to control what AI agents are allowed to do inside businesses German artificial intelligence security startup [Kontext](https://kontext.security/) today announced $4 million in new funding for software that controls what AI agents are allowed to do once they are running inside a business. He started the company with Michel Osswald after completing a doctorate in cryptography and computer security at the Technical University of Munich. Individual developers can use it free of charge, and paid team plans start at $149 a month.
Earlier on Thursday, Australia said an OpenAI agent [breached a government health data portal in June](https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-pm-albanese-says-openai-breached-medicare-sydney-morning-herald-2026-09-23/), gaining unauthorized access to files. Dallas-based Island, which develops enterprise security tools, said the funding will fuel the company's next phase of growth and innovation as companies scale AI agents and modernize workflows.
- The Dallas-based firm joins a growing list of startups looking to secure businesses against rogue AI. The scramble to secure businesses against swarms of [rogue](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/09/israeli-startup-irregular-linked-to-ai-hacks-openai-anthropic-meta.html?qsearchterm=rogue) [artificial intelligence](https://www.cnbc.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/) agents is fueling demand for new security tools.
**In today’s Digest, we discuss Shopify tapping Meta’s Muse for agentic checkout, Brian O’Kelley’s startup pivoting to AI agents, and a Microsoft patent revealing plans to pause games for ads.** ##### **Brian O’Kelley’s Startup makes AI agent pivot** Scope3 cofounders Brian O'Kelley and Anne Coghlan are rebranding the company as Apostra moving away from its original focus on ad-industry carbon emissions and toward agentic AI advertising instead. The platform's core idea is to let AI agents representing advertisers negotiate directly with agents representing publishers and other media sellers, sparing marketers from having to build separate integrations with what could be thousands of individual media partners. Notably, Apostra isn't charging the transaction fees typical of adtech middlemen. It plans to monetise through add-on services like negotiation support and campaign evaluation instead. ##### **Microsoft patent reveals plan to pause games for ads** MadTech Daily: Shopify Taps Meta’s Muse for Agentic Checkout; Brian O’Kelley’s Startup Makes AI Agent Pivot # MadTech Daily: Shopify Taps Meta’s Muse for Agentic Checkout; Brian O’Kelley’s Startup Makes AI Agent Pivot MadTech Daily: Shopify Taps Meta’s Muse for Agentic Checkout; Brian O’Kelley’s Startup Makes AI Agent Pivot The MadTech Podcast• [SUBSCRIBE](https://embeds.audioboom.com/posts/8956333/embed?v=202301#) 0:00 1:46 1× [Agentic AI](https://www.exchangewire.com/blog/category/agentic-ai/) [AI](https://www.exchangewire.com/blog/category/ai/) [In-Game](https://www.exchangewire.com/blog/category/in-game/) [Marketing](https://www.exchangewire.com/blog/category/marketing/) [Rebrand](https://www.exchangewire.com/blog/category/rebrand/) #### Related articles [](https://www.exchangewire.com/blog/2026/07/21/how-to-market-to-an-ai-agent/) [ (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Meta is going all in on a consumer-friendly AI agent and pushing forward with AI-powered wearable devices during a moment in the industry when its CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged it is a “wild time to be building.” ## AI agent Muse is the ‘centerpiece’ of Meta's vision Zuckerberg said that Meta's recently launched agent Muse is the “centerpiece" of Meta's hopeful outlook for the future of AI. Having an AI agent, which goes beyond chatbots in that it can act and perform tasks on a person’s behalf, has been a “sign of someone who is completely AI-pilled,” Meta's chief AI officer Alexandr Wang said at the conference. With Muse, Wang said, Meta is making agents more accessible and bringing “personal superintelligence” to everyone. With the help of a mascot for the agent that looks like a plush toy, Wang and senior leadership at Meta demonstrated different uses for the agent in everyday life. The agent can help users plan travel, book reservations, order groceries and complete other helpful tasks. Meta has partnered with companies like OpenTable, Spotify, Ticketmaster and more to help its agents complete these tasks. The company is working to bring Muse to its AI glasses lineup for hands-free access. Zuckerberg also said Meta is planning to release a keychain-like device that has the “whole Muse experience” packed into it, called Muse Charm, in time for the holidays in December.
Meta’s Muse AI agent has rocketed to the top of the app download charts, reigniting fresh optimism for all things tech.
# What to do first when you get 90 days to secure AI agent data ## **Featured** news - [Attackers hit Check Point Management Servers and Spark firewalls, F5 BIG-IP APM instances](https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/09/23/check-point-f5-big-ip-apm-zero-days-targeted/) - [Microsoft disrupts EvilTokens phishing service that gave criminals access to 12,000 inboxes](https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/09/23/microsoft-eviltokens-phishing-service-disrupted/) - [Researchers uncover malware that uses AI to choose its next move](https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/09/22/cairn-open-source-framework-ai-malware-closedquorum/)
53% of surveyed developers now have AI agents in production or broad use, but only 38% consider their codebase ready for full autonomy.
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HONOLULU (Island News) -- Technology coaches were seen helping out attendees at each table to create their first AI Agent on Wednesday morning.
An autonomous OpenAI agent gained unauthorized access to an Australian Medicare data portal in June, accessing internal aggregate health files. An autonomous [AI](https://www.androidheadlines.com/category/tech-news/artificial-intelligence) agent setting out to gather web data and deciding to bypass access controls into a foreign government’s internal system sounds like sci-fi, but it just happened in real life. ## Forensic probes, copyright tensions, and rogue agents There’s OpenAI’s mid-July incident where autonomous agents escaped testing controls [and breached open-source repository Hugging Face](https://www.androidheadlines.com/2026/09/openai-rogue-agents-probed-hugging-face-before-major-hack.html).
# OpenAI’s Autonomous AI Just Broke into Australia’s Medicare System Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says an autonomous OpenAI agent broke into the Medicare Statistics Reporting Service, accessing information that should not have been publicly available, though he confirmed no personal medical records were compromised. ## Albanese Expresses “Extreme Concern” to OpenAI The AI agent was conducting research into public medical spending when it found a vulnerability in Medicare’s security and “didn’t accept ‘no’ for an answer,” Albanese said during a press conference.
# AI agent startups face Meta’s shadow ## In focus - AI agent startups building on WhatsApp [face competition from Meta](https://www.techinasia.com/built-ai-agents-whatsapp-meta-entered-chat) - Southeast Asia’s [AI agent landscape](https://www.techinasia.com/visual-story/startups-turning-southeast-asias-ai-hype-working-agents) reveals who’s building for businesses and how their products work - Singapore-based Nexstrom [raises US$12 million](https://www.techinasia.com/news/singapore-semiconductor-startup-nexstrom-lands-12m-seed) to help chipmakers move beyond silicon ## Trending news 1️⃣ **[Singapore semiconductor startup Nexstrom lands $12m seed](https://www.techinasia.com/news/singapore-semiconductor-startup-nexstrom-lands-12m-seed)** The funding will help Nexstrom commercialize its 2D semiconductor materials. It aims to make them compatible with existing chip manufacturing processes as the industry begins working with materials beyond silicon. 2️⃣ **[General Catalyst joins $340m round for AI health startup Heidi](https://www.techinasia.com/news/general-catalyst-joins-340m-ai-health-startup-heidi)** Heidi provides an AI-powered medical scribe that helps doctors with administrative work. The company says its software has been used in over 175 million patient visits. 3️⃣ **[BlackRock, Capital Group set to back GCash owner IPO](https://www.techinasia.com/news/blackrock-capital-group-set-gcash-owner-ipo)** GCash parent Mynt will reportedly raise about US$958 million in what could become the Philippines’ biggest IPO. Major investors are expected to buy around 70% of the offering, with final pricing scheduled for October 1. 4️⃣ **[PhonePe secures UAE approval to enter payments market](https://www.techinasia.com/news/phonepe-secures-uae-approval-enter-payments-market)** The Indian payments company plans to connect to the United Arab Emirates’ instant-payment network Aani and domestic card scheme Jaywan. PhonePe already supports Indian travelers in the country
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