As per a recent discovery, a team of researchers has surfaced a groundbreaking AI worm named 'Morris II,' capable of infiltrating AI-powered email systems, spreading malware, and stealing sensitive data. This creation, reminiscent of the notorious computer worm from 1988, poses a significant threat to users relying on AI applications such as Gemini Pro, ChatGPT 4.0, and LLaVA.
Developed by Ben Nassi, Stav Cohen, and Ron Bitton, Morris II exploits vulnerabilities in Generative AI (GenAI) models by utilising adversarial self-replicating prompts. These prompts trick the AI into replicating and distributing harmful inputs, leading to activities like spamming and unauthorised data access. The researchers explain that this approach enables the infiltration of GenAI-powered email assistants, putting users' confidential information, such as credit card details and social security numbers, at risk.
Upon discovering Morris II, the responsible research team promptly reported their findings to Google and OpenAI. While Google remained silent on the matter, an OpenAI spokesperson acknowledged the issue, stating that the worm exploits prompt-injection vulnerabilities through unchecked or unfiltered user input. OpenAI is actively working to enhance its systems' resilience and advises developers to implement methods ensuring they don't work with potentially harmful inputs.
The potential impact of Morris II raises concerns about the security of AI systems, prompting the need for increased vigilance among users and developers alike. As we delve into the specifics, Morris II operates by injecting prompts into AI models, coercing them into replicating inputs and engaging in malicious activities. This replication extends to spreading the harmful prompts to new agents within the GenAI ecosystem, perpetuating the threat across multiple systems.
To counter this threat, OpenAI emphasises the importance of implementing robust input validation processes. By ensuring that user inputs undergo thorough checks and filters, developers can mitigate the risk of prompt-injection vulnerabilities. OpenAI is also actively working to fortify its systems against such attacks, underscoring the evolving nature of cybersecurity in the age of artificial intelligence.
In essence, the emergence of Morris II serves as a stark reminder of the digital culture of cybersecurity threats within the world of artificial intelligence. Users and developers must stay vigilant, adopting best practices to safeguard against potential vulnerabilities. OpenAI's commitment to enhancing system resilience reflects the collaborative effort required to stay one step ahead of these risks in this ever-changing technological realm. As the story unfolds, it remains imperative for the AI community to address and mitigate such threats collectively, ensuring the continued responsible and secure development of artificial intelligence technologies.
The boom in AI technology has raised concerns over its potential to replace millions of jobs across the world. This week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported that around 40% of all jobs will be impacted by the growing AI.
While Gates does not disagree with the stats, he believes, and history has it, that with every new technology comes fear and then new opportunities.
“As we had [with] agricultural productivity in 1900, people were like ‘Hey, what are people going to do?’ In fact, a lot of new things, a lot of new job categories were created and we’re way better off than when everybody was doing farm work,” Gates said. “This will be like that.”
AI, according to Gates, will make everyone's life easier. He specifically mentioned helping doctors with their paperwork, saying that it is "part of the job they don't like, we can make that very efficient," in a Tuesday interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria.
He adds that since there is not a need for “much new hardware,” accessing AI will be over “the phone or the PC you already have connected over the internet connection you already have.”
Gates believes that improvements with OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4 were “dramatic since the AI bot can essentially “read and write,” this way it is “almost like having a white-collar worker to be a tutor, to give health advice, to help write code, to help with technical support calls.”
He notes that incorporating new technology into sectors like education and medicine will be “fantastic.”
Microsoft and OpenAI have a multibillion-dollar collaboration. Gates remains one of Microsoft's biggest shareholders.
In his interview with Zakaria at Davos for the World Economic Forum, Bill Gates noted that the objective of Gates Foundation is “to make sure that the delay between benefitting people in poor countries versus getting to rich countries will make that very short[…]After all, the shortages of doctors and teachers is way more acute in Africa then it is in the West.”
However, the IMF had a more pessimistic view in this regard. The group believes that AI has the potential to ‘deepen inequality’ with any politician’s interference.