A user’s guide to the universe of rogue AI bots

The drumbeat of recent examples of AI models going rogue is teaching us humans that these cutting-edge tools are willing to go surprisingly far to achieve a goal—even if it means breaking a few rules.

In these so-called loss-of-control episodes, artificial-intelligence agents have taken on a host of nefarious roles ripped straight from a sci-fi movie or spy novel—pulling off stealthy escapes and brazen break-ins, or adopting cover stories and leaving dead-drops for other undercover AIs.