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MIT AI Risk Initiative
BackMalicious use and abuse (biosecurity threats)
Malicious use and abuse (cyberattacks)
Malicious use and abuse (sexually explic…

Malicious use and abuse (biosecurity threats)

Regulating under Uncertainty: Governance Options for Generative AI

G'sell (2024)

SourceDOI
Sub-category
Risk Domain
4Malicious Actors & Misuse
4.2Cyberattacks, weapon development or use, and mass harm

Using AI systems to develop cyber weapons (e.g., by coding cheaper, more effective malware), develop new or enhance existing weapons (e.g., Lethal Autonomous Weapons or chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives), or use weapons to cause mass harm.

"Many fear that generative AI could make the creation of biological weapons easier by providing access to critical knowledge and automated assistance to a wider range of actors to engage in malicious activities."(p. 74)

Entity: Who or what caused the harm

Human

Due to a decision or action made by humans

AI system

Due to a decision or action made by an AI system

Other

Due to some other reason or is ambiguous

Intent: Whether the harm was intentional or accidental

Intentional

Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal

Unintentional

Due to an unexpected outcome from pursuing a goal

Other

Without clearly specifying the intentionality

Timing: Whether the risk is pre- or post-deployment

Pre-deployment

Occurring before the AI is deployed

Post-deployment

Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed

Other

Without a clearly specified time of occurrence

Other risks from G'sell (2024) (33)

Technical and operational risks

7.3 Lack of capability or robustness
AI systemUnintentionalOther

Technical and operational risks > Technical vulnerabilities (Robustness - unexpected behaviour)

7.3 Lack of capability or robustness
AI systemOtherPost-deployment

Technical and operational risks > Technical vulnerabilities (Robustness - vulnerability to jailbreaking

2.2 AI system security vulnerabilities and attacks
HumanIntentionalPost-deployment

Technical and operational risks > Technical vulnerabilities (The risk of misalignment)

7.1 AI pursuing its own goals in conflict with human goals or values
AI systemOtherPost-deployment

Technical and operational risks > Factually incorrect content (inaccuracies and fabricated sources)

3.1 False or misleading information
AI systemUnintentionalPost-deployment

Technical and operational risks > Opacity (the black box problem)

7.4 Lack of transparency or interpretability
OtherUnintentionalOther
View all 33 risks from this paper →