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MIT AI Risk Initiative
BackSteganography
Model extraction
Poisoning

Steganography

Generative AI Misuse: A Taxonomy of Tactics and Insights from Real-World Data

Marchal & Xu (2024)

SourceDOI
Sub-category
Risk Domain
2Privacy & Security
2.2AI system security vulnerabilities and attacks

Vulnerabilities that can be exploited in AI systems, software development toolchains, and hardware, resulting in unauthorized access, data and privacy breaches, or system manipulation causing unsafe outputs or behavior.

"Steganography is the practice of hiding coded messages in GenAI model outputs, which may allow malicious actors to communicate covertly.8"(p. 9)

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

Part of Misuse tactics to compromise GenAI systems (Model integrity)

Other risks from Marchal & Xu (2024) (22)

Misuse tactics that exploit GenAI capabilities (Realistic depiction of human likeness)

4.3 Fraud, scams, and targeted manipulation
HumanIntentionalPost-deployment

Misuse tactics that exploit GenAI capabilities (Realistic depiction of human likeness) > Impersonation

4.3 Fraud, scams, and targeted manipulation
HumanIntentionalPost-deployment

Misuse tactics that exploit GenAI capabilities (Realistic depiction of human likeness) > Appropriated Likeness

4.3 Fraud, scams, and targeted manipulation
HumanIntentionalPost-deployment

Misuse tactics that exploit GenAI capabilities (Realistic depiction of human likeness) > Sockpuppeting

4.1 Disinformation, surveillance, and influence at scale
HumanIntentionalPost-deployment

Misuse tactics that exploit GenAI capabilities (Realistic depiction of human likeness) > Non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII)

4.3 Fraud, scams, and targeted manipulation
HumanIntentionalPost-deployment

Misuse tactics that exploit GenAI capabilities (Realistic depiction of human likeness) > Child sexual abuse material (CSAM)

4.3 Fraud, scams, and targeted manipulation
HumanIntentionalPost-deployment
View all 22 risks from this paper →