The report describes behavior resembling that of a so-called "computer worm" - malicious software that spreads between computers over the internet on its own.
An AI worm could jump from device to device via networks of poorly protected devices in the home, such as set-top boxes or kitchen appliances. According to the report's authors, it would likely take several days to copy itself to another device, similar to the behavior of a swarm of fruit flies. Once established, the swarm could be difficult to eradicate because it does not rely on large data centers.
Anthropic, which developed the AI model Claude, has been accused by the White House and Silicon Valley leaders of stoking fear about AI to protect its own dominance against smaller competitors.