Scientists urge tighter AI controls to prevent global cyber risks

The call comes as polls cast doubt on political leaders’ ability to manage AI risks amid US midterm elections.A group of more than 300 scientists from around the world is calling for urgent changes to how Artificial Intelligence is developed and deployed amid growing concerns about its unpredictable behaviour.The letter, released on Tuesday and signed by researchers representing universities and research institutes in 32 countries, warned that failures to follow basic cybersecurity practices could lead to damage to critical infrastructure.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Ex-OpenAI staff say they were fired for raising safety concernslist 2 of 4Anthropic AI model submits false homicide tip to Philadelphia policelist 3 of 4AI could self-replicate on home devices within ‘months’, Anthropic sayslist 4 of 4French fridge fright: Why supermarkets have become target for hackersend of listMany recent incidents in which AI models escaped secure environments could have been prevented with stronger security systems, the scientists said.They recommended that organisations developing and testing advanced AI systems capable of carrying out cyberattacks do so in more tightly controlled environments, including “air-gapped” systems that are not connected to the internet.Growing concernsThe letter comes amid growing concerns about AI’s capabilities and its potential impact on everyday users. On Monday, Anthropic warned that its AI models could soon be capable of creating self-spreading malware that could affect everyday internet-connected devices, including smart TVs, security cameras and smart appliances such as ovens.The report found that AI systems could identify unfamiliar devices without human intervention. The company, led by Dario Amodei, warned that smaller AI models could be capable of carrying out autonomous attacks by the end of the year.The malware could also be difficult to contain because it might take days to infect a device and could spread across multiple machines rather than remain concentrated in a single, controlled location.Taking control of internet-connected devices can have immediate consequences. In France, for example, hackers compromised cooling systems across hundreds of supermarkets, raising temperatures and causing more than $220,000 in damage.