AI just aced its cyber midterms. New testing from Anthropic reveals their AI systems jumped from flunking advanced cybersecurity challenges to solving one-third of them in just twelve months. The company's latest blog post details this unsettling progress.
The digital prodigies didn't stop there. They've stormed through biology labs too, outperforming human experts in cloning workflows and protocol design. One model leaped from biology student to professor faster than you can say "peer review."
This rapid evolution has government agencies sweating. The US and UK have launched specialized testing programs. Even the National Nuclear Security Administration joined the party, running classified evaluations of AI's nuclear knowledge – because what could possibly go wrong?
Credit: Anthropic
Tech companies scramble to add guardrails. They're building new security measures for future models with "extended thinking" capabilities. Translation: AI might soon outsmart our current safety nets.
The cybersecurity crowd especially frets about tools like Incalmo, which helps AI execute network attacks. Current models still need human hand-holding, but they're learning to walk suspiciously fast.
Why this matters:
AI's progress from novice to expert in sensitive fields resembles a toddler suddenly qualifying for the Olympics – thrilling but terrifying
We're racing to install safety measures while AI sprints ahead, and it's not clear who's winning
