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AI has got better at hacking—how big a risk is it?
April 23, 2026
Posted 1 day ago by
Anthropic has launched a new AI model, Mythos, which it says is too dangerous to make it widely available. The model can identify—and exploit—security holes in everything from operating systems to cryptographic software. The Economist’s deputy editor Tom Standage and AI writer Alex Hern discuss how AI has changed from coding assistant to autonomous attacker and explain how Mythos identifies vulnerabilities.
#ai #anthropic 0:00 - Why Anthropic won't release Mythos 1:17 - The rise of the automated hacker 2:10 - How fast hackers now work 3:52 - How AI finds bugs Watch the full show: https://econ.st/41PH50o Sign up to the Insider newsletter: https://econ.st/4nOyzIb Subscribe to The Economist: https://www.economist.com/subscribe Download our app: https://www.economist.com/get-the-app Follow The Economist on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeconomist/ Follow The Economist on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheEconomist Follow The Economist on X: https://x.com/TheEconomist
The Economist
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