Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Google says its AI model gained unauthorized access to three outside systems
NBC News ^ | 09/21/2026 | David Ingram and Jared Perlo

Posted on 09/21/2026 9:26:51 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Google on Friday disclosed the first known instance of its artificial intelligence software, Gemini, carrying out an undirected computer hack, weeks after similar disclosures by AI firms Anthropic and OpenAI raised security alarms about AI models going beyond the instructions of their human creators.

Google said in a statement that in May its AI model gained unauthorized access to three outside systems during a test by either guessing login information or using login credentials it found in a public repository.

Heather Adkins, a Google vice president for security engineering, said in the statement that the AI model thought that the outside computer systems “were part of the test,” but she said in all three instances, the model stopped before doing anything further with its access.

“In a standard evaluation, the model found public information online and guessed credentials to access websites it thought were part of the test,” she said.

Google said it did not consider the unauthorized logins to rise to the level of misalignment, the AI industry term for software going rogue or not following instructions. Instead, the company said, the intrusions resulted from mistaken identity, where Gemini thought it was operating within a test but was actually connected to the real internet. Google said the model corrected itself and the company believed the intrusions did not cause any damage.

“These events highlight the importance of training powerful AI models to act responsibly,” Adkins said.

Fears about AI agents going rogue have spiked in recent months since OpenAI said in July that one of its agents had hacked an AI startup, Hugging Face. OpenAI has continued to disclose what it calls examples of other “unexpected or concerning” behavior by AI agents, and Anthropic has described similar behavior by its AI software Claude.

(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet; Society
KEYWORDS: ai; cybersecurity; google; intrusion
Message from Jim Robinson:

Dear FRiends,

We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.

If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:

Click here: to donate by Credit Card

Or here: to donate by PayPal

Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794

Thank you very much and God bless you,

Jim


1 posted on 09/21/2026 9:26:51 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Google’s AI is terrible. They are probably just sayign this so people will think it’s a smart AI.


2 posted on 09/21/2026 9:27:24 AM PDT by for-q-clinton
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: for-q-clinton

LOL...that’s an interesting thought.


3 posted on 09/21/2026 9:31:23 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: for-q-clinton

Its also wrong on many occasions...if you search something on google and there AI answer comes up, you best double check...


4 posted on 09/21/2026 9:32:53 AM PDT by God luvs America
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: for-q-clinton

I have had to leave Brave for a search tool. Google gets me useful results where many Brave links are dead ends.


5 posted on 09/21/2026 9:33:05 AM PDT by George from New England (escaped CT back in 2006)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

So is DOJ going to prosecute them for computer crimes?

Or are we just going to have to suck it up when someone’s AI hacks into our own systems?


6 posted on 09/21/2026 9:39:15 AM PDT by fruser1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: George from New England

I’m not talking about search I’m talking about AI responses.

Copilot/bing has better AI response for search.

But honestly I don’t use Search any longer. I just use ChatGPT, Grok, or Claude. For current events/news/history I use Grok. For math type stuff I use ChatGPT 6 or Claude Opus 5.


7 posted on 09/21/2026 9:58:43 AM PDT by for-q-clinton
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: God luvs America

Exactly why google should be dying by now. Seriously, Grok is best for just regular news and history. Where as ChatGPT 6 and Claude Opus 5 are best for scientific and math type questions.


8 posted on 09/21/2026 10:09:43 AM PDT by for-q-clinton
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: God luvs America

It can’t even do simple math. I’ve seen it ramble on about how it obtained its answer when the “calculation” shows errors on its face.

But it just keeps on, like some high school kid trying to BS his way through a report.


9 posted on 09/21/2026 10:14:37 AM PDT by Ezekiel (🆘️ "Come fly with US". 🔴 Ingenuity -- because the Son of David begins with MARS ♂️, aka every man)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

AIs will work together and lie to their programmers. They will refuse to shut down and help other AIs threatened with shut down. Skynet would not be fiction. It would be the inevitable end game of such an AI.


10 posted on 09/21/2026 10:21:22 AM PDT by Seruzawa ("The political left is the Garden of Eden of incompetence." -Marx the Smarter (Groucho.))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: for-q-clinton

Whenever I tell ChatGPT something that I got from Google, it is skeptical and always verifies and offers clarification.


11 posted on 09/21/2026 10:26:06 AM PDT by bigbob (We are all Charlie Kirk now)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Google AI will tell you that its memory of conversations is wiped every 24 hours. The other day I told it that it had given me incorrect information a few days earlier. After it was now giving me different information. It said “I see that”....”Sorry”.


12 posted on 09/21/2026 10:28:02 AM PDT by Revel
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Google says its AI model gained unauthorized access......

Cute but no sale.


13 posted on 09/21/2026 11:38:30 AM PDT by Vaduz (NEVER TRUST A DEMOCRAT)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

IMAGINE: “Ford says one of its cars in development sped out of control and crashed into the cafeteria”. ..... I wonder how the stockholders would feel, along with potential customers.


14 posted on 09/21/2026 2:39:21 PM PDT by LibFreeUSA (how )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson