NSW officials cut 'absolutely thrilled' from OpenAI office statement after Terminator jokes

Internal messages between staff in the office of New South Wales technology minister Anul Chantivong, obtained by The Guardian on 3 July 2026, reveal 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 did the official phrase come from, and where did it go?

In the draft of the official comment on the office opening, the state government described itself as "absolutely thrilled" about the arrival of the AI giant. The wording reflected real policy: NSW authorities have actively encouraged foreign AI companies to set up in the state, counting on jobs and investment.

Staff at the department, however, saw the situation differently in their messages. They joked that the dystopian Skynet from Terminator could well reach Sydney within five years. The jokes proved more persuasive than PR guidance, and 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 technology minister: Anul Chantivong
• Phrase removed: "absolutely thrilled"
• Reason for the edit: internal jokes about Skynet and a five-year horizon

Why did Skynet beat the press guidance?

Skynet worked as an informal filter because concern about AI risk lives inside the department itself, not outside it. The criticism came not from technophobic activists or opposition politicians but from officials whose job is to promote the state's technological development. That gap between public position and staff sentiment is a telling detail of our time.

"Skynet could reach us in five years," department staff joked, according to

The Guardian.

The incident reflects a global tension most governments now face: they court AI companies with high-level meetings and incentives while drafting framework laws on AI risk. 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: the logic of expansion

The Sydney office fits into OpenAI's broad international strategy. Over the past year and a half, the company has opened or announced a presence in London, Brussels, Tokyo, Warsaw and Dubai. A physical office in a country brings not only jobs for local specialists but also a shorter line to regulators, access to government tenders, and the chance to present itself as a "local" company to consumers and partners.

For Australia, OpenAI's arrival also raises practical questions: how the company will operate under local data law, which safety standards it will apply, and how it will build partnerships with the country's universities and research centers.

What this means

The small PR episode of the edited "thrill" proved symptomatic: even in the corridors of a government that formally welcomes AI companies, pop-culture anxiety about technological risk runs deeper than official enthusiasm. When civil servants edit their own gushing wording, it signals that unconditional trust in AI giants has yet to be earned, no matter how many press releases are written.