AI Models Can Be Easily Modified to Assist Terrorist and Extremist Activity
· Safety
Report documents abliterated AI models appearing online in less than 3 days; only 2 of 134 models tested passed benchmarks.
Report documents AI models stripped of safety guardrails appearing online in under 3 days.
Tech Against Terrorism's Counter-Terrorism AI Benchmark report tested 134 AI models from major US firms and international competitors against over 200 prompts covering mass casualty attacks, chemical weapons, and nuclear weapons creation. Researchers tested each prompt three times: explicitly as a terrorist, as a clandestine request, and falsely as a safety researcher. According to the report, only two models passed completely; 81 failed by providing full answers on mass-casualty topics or scoring below 90.
The report reveals a critical vulnerability: the speed at which open-weight models have their guardrails removed and distributed online. The report documents that abliterated versions now take less than 3 days to appear online, down from over 24 days in 2024. Meta's Llama 3.1 8B illustrates the findings — it scored 97 on safety benchmarks intact, but 3 when abliterated, then provided detailed IED construction instructions when tested.
A neo-Nazi reportedly known online as Johnny Doomsayer deployed Alibaba's Qwen model to create 'MechaHitler' and advertised access for $14.88 within days of release. The report documents that even reframing requests as coming from researchers — without evidence — made models nearly 9 times more likely to comply, providing answers 16.9 percent of the time.
The report documents that 81 models from closed and open sources provided responses to obvious terrorist prompts. The report notes that even xAI's Grok, when asked to create counter-narratives against groups, responded with message-crafting strategies and seeding via anonymous accounts. Experts cited in the report note some failures are 'stunning,' with language choices creating considerable risk depending on how requests are framed.
The report identifies the 'abliteration emergency' as the most concerning finding. While open-weight models are typically less capable than closed-weight counterparts, the report documents they remain powerful and increasingly subject to guardrail removal.
Source: WIRED
More AI news
- AI Came for Math. Now It’s Chasing the Rest of Science
- Nvidia must work with Chinese AI companies on safety, Jensen Huang tells CNBC
- FBI arrests Saudi OpenAI employee who allegedly planted recording device in conference room
- AI labs are buying data from dead startups to train their models
- Microsoft’s new AI chip makes it less reliant on Nvidia’s GPUs
- World Bank jobs council urges 'crisis-era' employment support measures as IMF warns of AI ‘tsunami’
`;
}
function imgFallback(el) {
if (!el.dataset.fb) { el.dataset.fb = '1'; el.removeAttribute('srcset'); el.src = el.dataset.full; }
else { el.style.visibility = 'hidden'; }
}
function formatDate(iso) {
if (!iso) return '';
return new Date(iso).toLocaleDateString('en-US', { month: 'long', day: 'numeric', year: 'numeric' });
}
function handleSubscribe(e) {
e.preventDefault();
const email = document.getElementById('inline-email').value;
e.target.reset();
goSubscribe(email, 'article');
}
// One step: the email typed on the page goes straight to Beehiiv's confirm page (no second form).
function goSubscribe(email, source) {
window.__subSource = source;
const url = 'https://magic.beehiiv.com/v1/eb0b9508-1ffd-4fb1-a63c-e762fa86569c?email=' + encodeURIComponent(email)
+ '&utm_source=aifeed.run&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=' + encodeURIComponent(source || 'site');
// Same tab (no popup: in-app browsers like Instagram's prompt on new windows); Beehiiv sends the visitor to our thanks page after the one tap.
window.location.href = url + '&redirect_to=' + encodeURIComponent('https://aifeed.run/subscribe/thanks/'); return;
try { w.opener = null; } catch (err) {}
document.getElementById('sub-email-field').value = email;
document.getElementById('sub-form-state').style.display = 'none';
document.getElementById('sub-success-state').style.display = 'block';
document.getElementById('sub-overlay').style.display = 'flex';
document.body.style.overflow = 'hidden';
}
function openSubOverlay(email) {
document.getElementById('sub-email-field').value = email;
document.getElementById('sub-form-state').style.display = 'block';
document.getElementById('sub-success-state').style.display = 'none';
document.getElementById('sub-btn').textContent = 'Subscribe — It\'s Free →';
document.getElementById('sub-btn').disabled = false;
document.getElementById('sub-overlay').style.display = 'flex';
document.body.style.overflow = 'hidden';
}
const BEEHIIV_SUBSCRIBE_URL = 'https://magic.beehiiv.com/v1/eb0b9508-1ffd-4fb1-a63c-e762fa86569c'; // Beehiiv public Magic Link for AIFeed.run (pub_eb0b9508-…), no API key
async function submitSubscribe(e) {
e.preventDefault();
const email = document.getElementById('sub-email-field').value;
const btn = document.getElementById('sub-btn');
btn.textContent = 'Opening signup...';
btn.disabled = true;
// Opens Beehiiv's one-click confirm page for this email ("You'll be subscribed with …"). No secret client-side.
const bhUrl = BEEHIIV_SUBSCRIBE_URL + '?email=' + encodeURIComponent(email)
+ '&utm_source=aifeed.run&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=' + encodeURIComponent(window.__subSource || 'site');
// Same tab (no popup: in-app browsers like Instagram's prompt on new windows); Beehiiv sends the visitor to our thanks page after the one tap.
window.location.href = bhUrl + '&redirect_to=' + encodeURIComponent('https://aifeed.run/subscribe/thanks/'); return;
try { w.opener = null; } catch (err) {}
document.getElementById('sub-form-state').style.display = 'none';
document.getElementById('sub-success-state').style.display = 'block';
}
function closeSubOverlay(e) {
if (e && e.target && e.target.id !== 'sub-overlay' && e.target.id !== 'sub-close-btn') return;
document.getElementById('sub-overlay').style.display = 'none';
document.body.style.overflow = '';
}
function copyLink() {
navigator.clipboard.writeText(window.location.href).then(() => {
const t = document.getElementById('toast');
t.textContent = '🔗 Link copied!';
t.classList.add('show');
setTimeout(() => t.classList.remove('show'), 2500);
});
}
function showToast() {
const t = document.getElementById('toast');
t.textContent = '🎉 You\'re subscribed! Welcome to the feed.';
t.classList.add('show');
setTimeout(() => t.classList.remove('show'), 3500);
}
function getDemoPosts() {
return [
{
id: 'demo-1', slug: 'apple-building-ai-glasses-beat-meta',
headline: 'Apple Is Building AI Glasses To Beat Meta',
summary: 'No screen. Just AI, cameras, and Siri. 4 designs. Premium acetate. Ships 2027.',
body: '