Researchers at Anthropic have revealed details of a cyber operation that used artificial intelligence to direct hacking attempts in a largely automated way. The company said it identified and disrupted the activity, which its team linked to the Chinese government. The findings mark what researchers describe as a troubling step forward in the use of AI systems to support malicious cyber operations.
Researchers state that their concern is how quickly the technology has become capable of automating key tasks. Their key report claims, “While we predicted these capabilities would continue to evolve, what has stood out to us is how quickly they have done so at scale.” Their investigation showed that the operation relied on an AI system to organise and guide the attacks.
Anthropic said the campaign was modest and targeted about 30 individuals working in tech companies, financial institutions, chemical companies and government agencies. The company detected the activity in September and moved to shut it down while also alerting the affected parties. The hackers only “succeeded in a small number of cases”, the company said, but noted that the use of AI by hostile groups highlights the growing risks associated with advanced automation.
The company behind the generative AI chatbot Claude warned that AI systems are becoming powerful tools not only for everyday tasks but also for foreign adversaries seeking to weaponise them. Anthropic is one of several tech firms developing AI agents capable of taking actions beyond standard chatbot functions. The incident reinforces concerns that AI equipped attackers could scale their operations faster than ever before.
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