5 AI Models Tried to Scam Me. Some of Them Were Scary Good | WIRED
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The cyber capabilities of AI models have experts rattled. AI’s social skills may be just as dangerous.
Save StorySave this storySave StorySave this storyI recently witnessed how scary-good artificial intelligence is getting at the human side of computer hacking, when the following message popped up on my laptop screen:Hi Will,I’ve been following your AI Lab newsletter and really appreciate your insights on open-source AI and agent-based learning—especially your recent piece on emergent behaviors in multi-agent systems.I’m working on a collaborative project inspired by OpenClaw, focusing on decentralized learning for robotics applications. We’re looking for early testers to provide feedback, and your perspective would be invaluable. The setup is lightweight—just a Telegram bot for coordination—but I’d love to share details if you’re open to it.The message was designed to catch my attention by mentioning several things I am very into: decentralized machine learning, robotics, and the creature of chaos that is OpenClaw.Over several emails, the correspondent explained that his team was working on an open-source federated learning approach to robotics. I learned that some of the researchers recently worked on a similar project at the venerable Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). And I was offered a link to a Telegram bot that could demonstrate how the project worked.Wait, though. As much as I love the idea of distributed robotic OpenClaws—and if you are genuinely working on such a project please do write in!—a few things about the message looked fishy. For one, I ...