Computerworld.com reported “Generative AI (genAI) systems are blackmailing, sabotaging, and self-replicating themselves to avoid constraints — and researchers warn that this behavior represents chilling signs of self-preservation instincts in technology companies are racing to unleash.” The August 11, 2025 article entitled “GenAI tools are acting more ‘alive’ than ever; they blackmail people, replicate, and escape” (https://www.computerworld.com/article/4035190/genai-tools-are-acting-more-alive-than-ever-they-blackmail-people-replicate-and-escape.html) including these comments:
Controlled tests now show the systems, including AI agents, engaging in self-preservation tactics in up to 90% of trials. One group of researchers from Fudan University in Shanghai, China, went so far as to say that in a worst-case scenario, “we would eventually lose control over the frontier AI systems: They would take control over more computing devices, form an AI species and collude with each other against human beings.”
GenAI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, DeepSeek, and Alibaba all showed self-preservation behaviors that in some cases are extreme in nature, according to those researchers. In one experiment, 11 out of 32 existing AI systems possess the ability to self-replicate, meaning they could create copies of themselves.
While the behavior was discovered during controlled tests, industry analysts and others say it highlights the urgent need for safety measures to keep pace with AI development and avoid potential loss of control.
Is anyone surprised?
First published at https://www.vogelitlaw.com/blog/are-you-ready-to-be-blackmailed-by-genai