Smaller AI models may soon spread autonomously through smart devices

Anthropic has announced that smaller AI models may become capable of autonomous replication through commercial devices connected to the internet, such as smart TVs and household appliances, within a few months.

The company tested the ability of AI models to find vulnerable devices, copy themselves onto them, and continue spreading without human assistance.

In simplified tests, where certain security steps were removed, the GLM-5.2 and stronger models were able to complete the replication process.