AI models capable of devastating attacks on governments and business months away, rare Five Eyes statement warns - The Guardian

Cybersecurity agencies from the Five Eyes alliance have issued a joint statement on AI after the US blocked Anthropic’s much-hyped Fable. Photograph: Andre M Chang/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Cybersecurity agencies from the Five Eyes alliance have issued a joint statement on AI after the US blocked Anthropic’s much-hyped Fable. Photograph: Andre M Chang/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock AI models capable of devastating attacks on governments and business months away, rare Five Eyes statement warns Signal agencies in Australia, the US, the UK, New Zealand and Canada sound alarm after Trump blocks foreign nationals from Anthropic’s Fable AI model Powerful AI models capable of devastating new cyber attacks on governments and businesses are mere months away, intelligence agencies for the Five Eyes have warned in a rare joint statement, urging leaders to “act now”. The surprising public intervention by signals agencies for Australia, the US, the UK, New Zealand and Canada comes after the Trump administration earlier this month decided to block “foreign nationals” from using a much-hyped AI model built by tech company Anthropic, called Fable. The statement, issued late on Monday night, Sydney time, said while AI “would help us improve cyber defence over time, it also accelerates the speed, scale, and sophistication of cyber threats”. What is Mythos AI and why could it be a threat to global cybersecurity? Read more “Frontier AI models are anticipated to exceed current industry expectations, fundamentally transforming both offensive and defensive cyber capabilities. The timeline is not years, it is months,” the warning by Five Eyes agencies said. “In this environment, cyber resilience is integral to advancing business continuity, market confidence, and long-term value.” The cybersecurity agencies said the leaps in AI models showed the technology would lower barriers for bad actors and increase the speed and complexity of attacks. “A whole-of-organisation and whole-of-society response is required,” the statement continued. The Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance set up between the five countries after the second world war. “Cyber risk can no longer be treated as a purely technical issue. This is a core business risk and leadership responsibility.” Generative AI models are powerful new tools capable of looking for vulnerabilities in cyber security systems, and they can help exploit those vulnerabilities as well as repair them. “What’s different about the latest [AI models] ones is they’re very good at generating exploits,” Olivia Shen, an expert in national security and AI at the University of Sydney’s United States Studies Centre, said. While no AI models or companies are mentioned in the Five Eyes statement by name, many around the world have their eyes on Anthropic’s advanced tier of tools. One of the major tech company’s latest inventions is called Fable 5, a supposedly more community-friendly version of Mythos – a powerful AI model released earlier this year capable of detecting vulnerabilities in cyber systems that is only available to vetted organisations and companies because of concerns it could be exploited. Both of Anthropic’s models were suspended for use by “foreign nationals” in June by the US government, which cited advice by national security authorities. Shen said much of the world was focused on what happens next for Anthropic but there could be many more powerful AI models not far off. ‘Enable workers’ talents’: no need for AI legislation in Australia, Labor says Read more “I think we have to anticipate that the next Mythos or the next Fable is just around the corner,” Shen said. “We can only see what’s been released but there could be other models being developed by the likes of China, or other states and other actors and companies, that are just as advanced.” In March, the Albanese government signed Anthropic as the first company on to its national AI plane. The non-binding memorandum of understanding means companies agree to share details of AI progress with the government and “promote safety”. The government’s national plan promotes a light-touch approach on regulating the sector in a bid to capture economic and productivity benefits from the technology. Explore more on these topics AI (artificial intelligence) Data and computer security Canada New Zealand news Share Reuse this content