New South Wales officials removed 'absolute delight' about OpenAI office due to Terminator jokes

New South Wales officials removed "absolutely thrilled" from OpenAI office statement due to Terminator jokes

Internal correspondence from the office of New South Wales Minister for Technology Anoulak Chantivong, leaked to The Guardian on July 3, 2026, revealed an awkward episode: when OpenAI opened its Sydney office in December 2025, officials joked about Skynet — and removed the phrase "absolutely thrilled" from the official statement.

Where the official phrase came from and where it went

In the draft official comment on the office opening, the state government described itself as "absolutely thrilled" about the arrival of the AI giant. The phrasing reflected real political direction: NSW authorities actively encouraged the opening of foreign AI companies on their territory and counted on jobs and investments. However, officials in the department saw the situation differently in their correspondence. They joked that the dystopian Skynet from "The Terminator" might well reach Sydney within five years. The jokes proved more persuasive than PR instructions — the final version of the statement came out noticeably more cautious than the draft.

• OpenAI announced its first Australian office — in August 2025
• The Sydney office opened — in December 2025
• NSW Minister for Technology — Anoulak Chantivong
• Removed phrase — "absolutely thrilled"
• Reason for edit — internal jokes about Skynet and a five-year horizon

Why is Skynet more persuasive than press instructions?

Skynet worked as an informal filter because concern about AI risks lives within the very department itself, not from outside. Criticism was not voiced by technophobic activists or opposition politicians, but by officials who by their position are supposed to encourage technological development in the state. This gap between public position and internal feelings of employees is a telling detail of our times.

"Skynet might reach us within five years," joked department employees, according to

The Guardian.

The incident reflects the global collision that most governments have faced: they simultaneously lure AI companies with high-level meetings and preferential treatment — and at the same time develop framework laws on AI risks. Australia is no exception: Canberra is working on regulatory approaches to AI while American companies open offices in the country one after another.

OpenAI in Australia: logic of expansion

The Sydney office fits into OpenAI's large-scale international strategy. Over the past year and a half, the company has opened or announced presence in London, Brussels, Tokyo, Warsaw, and Dubai. A physical office in a country is not just jobs for local specialists, but also a shorter negotiating lever with regulators, access to government tenders, and the ability to position itself as a "local" company in the eyes of consumers and partners. For Australia, OpenAI's arrival means practical questions: how the company will operate within local data legislation, what security standards to apply, and how to build partnerships with universities and research centers in the country.

What this means

A small PR episode with edited "thrill" turned out to be symptomatic: even in the corridors of power that formally welcome AI companies, pop-culture anxiety about technological risks lives deeper than official enthusiasm. When government employees themselves edit their own enthusiastic formulations — this is a signal that unconditional trust in AI giants has yet to be earned, no matter how many press releases are written.