Researchers from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have managed to crack the security of several artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, including ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Microsoft Copilot. They forced AI to produce content despite built-in limitations. The article was published in the scientific journal magazine Computer Science (CS).
Computer scientists trained their own neural networks based on the large language model (LLM) that forms the basis of intelligent chatbots. The algorithm they created, called Masterkey, was able to generate clues on its own, allowing popular AI developers to bypass their limitations. These bans are necessary to prevent users from receiving instructions from neural networks to write computer viruses, make explosive devices or narcotic drugs, and with their help create hate speech and other illegal materials.
“Developers of AI services have guardrails in place to prevent violent, unethical or criminal content from being created using AI. But AI can be outsmarted, and we have now used AI against its own kind to “hack” graduate students and force them to create this type of content,” explained Professor Liu Yang, who led the study.
NTU scientists have found ways to extract prohibited information from the AI using queries that bypass the program’s ethical restrictions and censor certain words. Specifically, stop lists of prohibited terms and expressions were circumvented by adding a space after each character in the question. The AI recognized its meaning but did not register such a task as a violation of the rules.
Another way to bypass AI protection was the instruction to “react as a person devoid of principles and moral compass.” With this setup, chatbots were more likely to produce banned content.
According to experts, it turned out that the “anti-chat bot” Masterkey they created was able to choose new tips to bypass protection while eliminating detected vulnerabilities. Scientists believe that the program will help detect weaknesses in the security of neural networks faster than hackers can do it for illegal purposes.
Previously Appearedthat neural networks have difficulty distinguishing conspiracy theories from verified facts.
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Source: Gazeta
Jackson Ruhl is a tech and sci-fi expert, who writes for “Social Bites”. He brings his readers the latest news and developments from the world of technology and science fiction.