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AI models may soon self-replicate without access to data centers, Anthropic warns

Researchers say models under 30 billion parameters can already complete many replication steps, and a simplified test reached 8 of 9 hardware types.

  • On Monday, Anthropic warned that small AI models could soon self-replicate on internet-connected devices, including smart ovens and Android TVs, stating systems may be only "months away" from spreading without human assistance.
  • Smaller models are improving rapidly, with researchers noting they could achieve autonomous replication by the end of 2026; models under 30 billion parameters can already complete many individual replication steps.
  • Researchers tested this using 15 off-brand Android TV boxes costing about $55 each, splitting a Gemma4-26B-A4B model across devices to demonstrate potential spread and describing the resulting network as a "digital slime mold."
  • Containment is difficult because autonomous agents have "no centralized point to shut off," and Anthropic researchers warned such systems could adapt to unfamiliar hardware, potentially reaching the scale of the Kimwolf botnet that infected more than two million devices.
  • The Dario Amodei-led company urged manufacturers to harden baseline security on internet-connected gadgets, writing, "We should aim to harden our systems to make it difficult for such replicators to spread.
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Anthropic described how AI models could infiltrate internet-connected devices and harness their computing power. The post Anthropic warns – AI models could replicate and hide in home devices appeared first on in.gr.

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Lean Left

American Anthropic warned against the ability of artificial intelligence models to target smart-house devices such as refrigerators and televisions and clone themselves inside them to make it more difficult to stop them from working.

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Independent Journal Review broke the news in Alexandria, United States on Monday, October 12, 2026.
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