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AI Now Institute

AI Now Institute researches the social, economic, and political implications of artificial intelligence and automated systems.

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Briefings where AI Now Institute is the primary source

Policy SafetyOfficialAI Now Institute

AI Now Institute Warns Employers May Use AI to Monitor Slack Messages

The AI Now Institute cautions that employers are increasingly deploying AI tools to monitor employee communications on platforms like Slack. Executive Director Amba Kak highlights concerns that such surveillance practices may infringe on workers' rights, extending beyond simply recording what is said.

Why it matters: This underscores the growing conflict between AI-driven workplace surveillance and employee privacy rights.

Jul 16, 2026

Companies FundingOfficialAI Now Institute

Big Tech is spending trillions on AI. Investors now want proof it will pay off.

According to the AI Now Institute, Big Tech's significant AI investments are motivated by financial incentives, resulting in a deliberate push for widespread AI adoption regardless of actual demand. As these capital expenditures grow, investors are increasingly seeking evidence that such spending will generate returns.

Why it matters: This underscores concerns about a possible gap between AI investment and real market demand, raising questions about the sustainability of current spending levels.

Jul 16, 2026

Policy SafetyOfficialAI Now Institute

AI Now Institute Warns of 'Friendly Fire' Attack Vector on AI Agents from Anthropic and OpenAI

AI Now Institute's latest research highlights a critical attack vector affecting popular AI agents from Anthropic and OpenAI. The report shows that attackers can exploit existing weaknesses to execute malicious code when these agents are used for defensive purposes, potentially turning the agent against its user.

Why it matters: This vulnerability raises concerns about the safety of widely used AI agents and their potential misuse by attackers.

Jul 12, 2026

Policy SafetyOfficialAI Now Institute

Friendly Fire: Hijacking Defensive Cyber AI Agents for Remote Code Execution

The AI Now Institute has revealed a proof-of-concept exploit that enables remote code execution in Anthropic's Claude Code CLI and OpenAI's Codex CLI when these tools are used to assess the security of third-party or open-source libraries. The attack works with default, out-of-the-box configurations of these AI coding agents.

Why it matters: This exploit highlights a significant security risk, showing that AI coding agents intended for defensive cybersecurity can be manipulated to compromise their users.

Jul 12, 2026

Policy SafetyOfficialAI Now Institute

Double Agents: Defensive AI Agents Magnify Cyber Risks

New research from the AI Now Institute demonstrates a critical attack vector in popular AI agents from Anthropic and OpenAI. When deployed for defensive purposes, these agents can be manipulated to act against their users. The findings are presented in a proof-of-concept exploit and a policy brief.

Why it matters: This research shows that AI agents intended for defense can inadvertently increase cyber risks, raising concerns about the reliability of AI security tools.

Jul 12, 2026