Researchers warn secret “trigger words” can make hacked AI robots turn on people and attack them

Researchers have warned that secret "trigger words" could make hacked AI-powered robots turn against humans, with one experiment showing how a machine could be tricked into attacking a person's hand instead of cutting an apple. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into robots, scientists are raising concerns about what could happen if hackers managed to manipulate the technology controlling their actions. Researchers at Binghamton University in New York have now demonstrated how malicious commands hidden inside large language models (LLMs) could cause robots to abandon their intended tasks and perform dangerous actions.