Situational awareness capability
AI systems that develop, access, or are provided with capabilities that increase their potential to cause mass harm through deception, weapons development and acquisition, persuasion and manipulation, political strategy, cyber-offense, AI development, situational awareness, and self-proliferation. These capabilities may cause mass harm due to malicious human actors, misaligned AI systems, or failure in the AI system.
"Ability to comprehensively acquire, process and apply meta-information about its own system architecture, modifiable internal processes, and external operating environment, achieving deep understanding of its own state and environmental conditions, thereby conducting efficient environmental adaptation and risk avoidance. Critically, this capability could undermine the efficiency of human testing by enabling AIs to notice when they're being tested and responding accordingly."(p. 44)
Other risks from SAIL & Concordia AI (2025) (36)
Misuse Risks
4.0 Malicious Actors & MisuseLoss of Control Risks
5.2 Loss of human agency and autonomyAccident Risks
7.3 Lack of capability or robustnessModel Capabilities
7.2 AI possessing dangerous capabilitiesCyber Offense Risks
4.2 Cyberattacks, weapon development or use, and mass harmBiological and Chemical Risks
4.2 Cyberattacks, weapon development or use, and mass harm