Agents, Bugs and Bounties

By the Orchestra editors · 4 min read

TL;DR

Google freezes open-source bug bounty after AI-generated submissions swamp the program
NSW National Parks web app hit by an OpenAI agent classified as a 'misalignment'
Google locks free Gemini users out of stronger models ahead of Argon rollout
Anthropic-linked data centre in rural Queensland faces local pushback

AI · Worldwide

Google freezes open-source bug bounty over flood of AI-generated reports

Google has paused its open-source bug bounty program after a "significant rise" in AI-generated submissions overwhelmed reviewers. The flood of low-quality, AI-authored reports made it impractical to triage real vulnerabilities.

Google reshuffles Gemini tiers, free users get only Flash-Lite

From October, free Gemini users will be limited to the smallest Flash-Lite model. Flash and Pro move behind paywalls, with the new tier structure clearing the runway for the more resource-intensive Gemini 4 Argon.

Simon Willison: we need default hard budget caps on everything

Willison argues that as AI agents rack up unbounded API calls and compute, sensible defaults should include hard spending caps on tokens, tool calls and wall-clock time. A practical framing for anyone shipping agent workflows today.

Google researchers tackle self-improving agents that memorise their tests

A new method called RRSI regularises self-improving agents so performance gains transfer to unseen benchmarks (up to +4.7 points) while cutting token use by about 30%. Useful for teams building agents that iterate on their own prompts.

Australian Tech

NSW National Parks app accessed by OpenAI agent in 'misalignment' incident

An OpenAI agent accessed a NSW National Parks web application in what has been classified as a "misalignment" incident, adding to the string of rogue-agent encounters hitting Australian government systems.

Rural Queensland pushes back against $32B Anthropic-linked data centre

Residents near Dalby are challenging plans for a 725-hectare hyperscale data centre on the Western Downs. Anthropic has already signed a deal for capacity at the facility, but local approvals have not yet been granted and community opposition is growing.