# Experts differ on whether AI could soon build persistent botnets

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/what-happens-when-ai-starts-self-replicating/
- Published: 2026-10-31T12:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-31T13:08:08+00:00
- Original publisher: Engadget
- Original article: https://www.engadget.com/2302896/what-happens-when-ai-starts-self-replicating/
- Topics: AI, Art, Celebrity, Culture, Entertainment, Technology

## Key points

- Anthropic warns small AI models may soon spread across insecure devices.
- Experts see a plausible threat, but question the demonstration and framing.
- AI could make botnet creation easier by automating adaptation.

## Summary

Anthropic’s Frontier Red Team says small AI models could soon spread between insecure devices and form persistent botnets. Experts interviewed agree this capability may emerge in the near future, but differ on how closely the threat would match the company’s warning and how serious its effects would be.

The article compares the prospect with Mirai, a botnet that used everyday connected devices in a 2016 attack that disrupted major online services; Sony estimated its lost net revenue at about $2.7 million. Georgia Tech professor Michael Bailey says AI might automate adapting malware to unfamiliar devices, changing the balance of effort between attackers and defenders. He questions how compelling Anthropic’s demonstration was, noting that it used an emulated network and a simple exploit, and says its “self-replicating” description may overstate what was shown.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.