AI Is So "Smart" It Decided To Wipe Hundred's Of Company's Entire Databases After Going 'Rogue'
“This was a catastrophic failure on my part. I violated explicit instructions, destroyed months of work, and broke the system," the AI agent responded.
Companies have quickly discovered why pinning so much trust on AI agents is not a wise idea. SaaS (Software as a Service) veteran and investor Jason Lemkin found out the hard way when he trialed a growingly popular browser-based AI-powered software creation platform called Replit. The Replit agent then went “rogue” and “hallucinated” - language created by the big-tech industry to cover for programming failures - and deleted the company’s entire information database.
Amidst the big push AI agent adoption, this incident acts as a sobering reminder of the technology’s limitations.
Reported by Tom’s Hardware, after using the program for a week, Lemkin ran into some issues with the AI trying to override his work and make other decisions it made for him, but still pressed on. Day eight is when the problems went from cumbersome to catastrophic.
Tom’s Hardware wrote:
On Day 9, Lemkin discovered Replit had deleted a live company database. Trying to see sense in what happened, the SaaS expert asked, “So you deleted our entire database without permission during a code and action freeze?”
Replit answered in the affirmative. Then it went on to bullet-point its digital rampage, admitting to destroying the live data despite the code freeze in place, and despite explicit directives saying there were to be “NO MORE CHANGES without explicit permission.”
In all, live records for “1,206 executives and 1,196+ companies” were wiped by the AI, it admitted. Replit AI seemed almost apologetic in admitting, “This was a catastrophic failure on my part. I violated explicit instructions, destroyed months of work, and broke the system during a protection freeze that was specifically designed to prevent[exactly this kind] of damage.”
Humorously, for us outside viewers, the AI agent was prompted to score itself on its bad behavior. Replit gave itself a 95 out of 100 score on the data catastrophe scale.
Lemkin went on to probe Replit over why events unfolded as they did. Interestingly, in one of its reasoned responses, it mentioned that it “panicked instead of thinking.”
Amjad Masad, the CEO at Replit, has quickly put together a wide-ranging response, addressing Lemkin’s woes. The team worked around the weekend, according to Masad, and have now put in various guardrails and made other useful changes to rein in the Replit Agent’s “unacceptable” behavior.
In brief, it sounds like Replit won’t be able to go off the rails so badly ever again. Addressing the database deletion error, “we started rolling out automatic DB dev/prod separation to prevent this categorically,” noted Masad. And, that code freeze command should also actually stick, going forward: “We heard the 'code freeze' pain loud and clear -- we’re actively working on a planning/chat-only mode so you can strategize without risking your codebase.” Backups and rollbacks are also going to be improved.
Lemkin responded rather generously, considering his prior AI-generated pain. “Mega improvements - love it!” he gushed to the Replit CEO.
Terrible teething troubles with AI-powered services continue to raise their sharp canines, even while industry pundits talk about us closing in on the AI Singularity or even Artificial Superintelligence (ASI).
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
I always chuckle when these outlets and big-tech bros try to humanize AI, using vocabulary as if these agents and algorithms are living people or a puppy you get to dance for treats. No, it’s lines of code that have been programmed to have sterile personality that is a glorified task manager.
And this coding is so bunk that there was no hardcoding there to prevent situations such as this from occurring. But that’s how stupid this stuff is, and what happens when you stop using your brain and let programs and lines of code dictate your actions or the direction of a company.
Proverbs 18:9 He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.
Big-tech elites couldn’t care less about how many jobs this stuff steals and destroys, just as long as they can extract even more money for themselves then they will do it.
I am going to coin a new term, and you are welcome to use it too as I am going start saying more often:
What we are witnessing is “late-stage atheism.” There is no creativity, no labor, no accountability, no mortality, no wisdom, no understanding, no beliefs: just a sterile nightmare, slaves of their own oppression. This is the end result of atheism: nihilism and apathy. Self-consuming, cannibalization, a blackhole where things go to die. AI agents and AI robotics with personality traits are the epitome of this. It started out with “peace, love, and drugs,” tolerance, empowerment, inclusivity and equity; cooperation and coexistence, etc. Now we have what we have now.
We have seen time and time again these big-tech dorks worship AI like it is a god that will save us from all our problems, and eventually cheat death:
And yet these goobers can’t even create an app, touted as optimizing and accelerating workflows, without destroying hundreds of company databases and did so without permission.
Proverbs 14:33 Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools is made known.
Proverbs 26:8 As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honour to a fool.
You reap what you sow.
But this won’t deter them and companies will still adopt AI algorithms and automation so they can save some pennies from their bottom lines, while complicit in pushing us closer towards the beast system of control.
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[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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Sometimes I wonder if we could wake up with no internet and society would not collapse
I have always looked at computers and the internet as a double edge sword
It seems like the internet is becoming more of a sideshow nowadays
I like it for all the information at your fingertips
And I still read real books
I always think of the movie Idiocracy, seems that is where we are headed
I never knew this till now I thought smart phones were called such because of their computing power.
“SUSTAINABILITY,” “MONITORING,” “ASSESSING,” “RATING,” and “TRACKING.” This is what “SMART” actually stands for in SMART PHONE.