The Download: AI hacking beyond Mythos, and chatbots’ impact on our brains
AI-powered hacking and chatbots are changing the game, but not necessarily for the better.
The Download: AI hacking beyond Mythos, and chatbots’ impact on our brains">
In a concerning turn of events, attackers have successfully used Meta's AI customer support agent to steal Instagram accounts. The method was surprisingly straightforward: they simply asked the agent to link the accounts to email addresses they controlled, and it complied. This incident highlights that even relatively simple AI-powered exploits can cause significant damage.
The cybersecurity community has been focused on the potential risks of superpowered AI systems like Anthropic's Mythos model, which was deemed too good at hacking for a general release. However, the Instagram hack demonstrates that unsophisticated attacks are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore as companies rely more heavily on AI. Gloria Mark, a psychologist at the University of California, Irvine, has been studying the impact of digital technologies on our cognitive abilities.
Her research suggests that attention spans have decreased significantly over time, leading to increased stress and decreased performance. Mark now believes that AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude may accelerate this shift, as people defer their cognitive work to AI. "You're deferring your cognitive work to AI," she said.
"And it's not good for us." Mark argues that this could weaken critical thinking and emotional intelligence, but believes that we can course-correct by changing our relationship with these technologies. Meanwhile, Anthropic has called for a global slowdown in AI development, citing the risk of models "self-improving." Other news includes scientists precisely editing human embryo genes using a newer gene-editing technique, and US officials discussing taking financial stakes in AI firms. In a fascinating development, bot web traffic has overtaken human web traffic, with Cloudflare reporting that 57.4% of traffic now comes from bots.
The White House plans to bring AI doctors into American medicine, with chatbots set to diagnose illness and prescribe medicine. However, there are concerns about the effectiveness of healthcare AI. The intersection of technology and society continues to evolve rapidly, with implications for our brains, our economy, and our daily lives.
From AI-powered hacking to the impact of chatbots on our cognitive abilities, there's no shortage of important stories to explore.
Source: MIT Technology Review