Fears rise that AI is increasingly adept at hacking as the Pentagon launches Cyber Warfare Task Force

The Pentagon has formed a new task force to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in United States cyber warfare operations. The move comes amid growing concerns about the capabilities of the latest AI models, which are believed to identify digital security gaps faster than human hackers. The initiative is led by U.S. Cyber Command together with the National Security Agency (NSA). According to Politico, the task force was announced two weeks ago by General Joshua Rudd, who heads the NSA and Cyber Command. The task force will study how state-of-the-art AI models can be deployed safely across various military and intelligence operations, including in the US government’s secret networks that store highly sensitive information. The formation of this specialist team reflects Pentagon concerns about the rapid advancement of AI technology, whose offensive cyber capabilities are becoming more sophisticated. Several of the latest AI models are said to be able to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in digital systems very quickly. The concerns intensified after AI company Anthropic introduced its latest model named Claude Mythos. Anthropic claims the model is highly adept at detecting and exploiting weaknesses in cyber systems so access to its use is restricted to a select few. Anthropic even warned that the potential impact of such technology could be “very severe” on the economy, public safety, and national security if it falls into the wrong hands. Other AI companies such as OpenAI and Google are also said to be developing models with similar capabilities. Developers anticipate that advanced offensive AI technology will be widely available within six to 24 months. The situation has sparked concerns in the US government that the technology could be used by hackers with limited capabilities to cause large-scale digital disruption. The White House is also reported to be preparing a new executive order that would require AI companies to submit their models to government testing before public release. The policy is seen as a major shift in the administration of President Donald Trump towards AI regulation, which had previously been more lenient.