Highly recommend for your beach summer reading.

global.oup.com/academic/pro...

Massive credit to the lead authors Christopher Summerfield, Lennart Luttegau, Magda Dubois, Hannah Rose Kirk, Kobi Hackenberg, Catherine Fist, Nicola Ding, Rebecca Anselmetti, Coz Ududec, Katarina Slama, Mario Giulianelli

Ultimately, we advocate for more rigorous scientific methods. This includes using robust statistical analysis, proper control conditions, and clear theoretical frameworks to ensure the claims made about AI capabilities are credible and well-supported.

A key recommendation is to be more precise with our language. We caution against using mentalistic terms like 'knows' or 'pretends' to describe model outputs, as it can imply a level of intentionality that may not be warranted by the evidence.

For example, we look at how some studies use elaborate, fictional prompts to elicit certain behaviours. We question whether the resulting actions truly represent 'scheming' or are a form of complex instruction-following in a highly constrained context.

We discuss how the field can be susceptible to over-interpreting AI behavior, much like researchers in the past may have over-attributed linguistic abilities to chimps. We critique the reliance on anecdotes and a lack of rigorous controls in some current studies.

Our paper, 'Lessons from a Chimp,' compares current research into AI scheming with the historic effort to teach language to apes. We argue there are important parallels and cautionary tales to consider.

Addressing AI-enabled crime will require coordinated policy, technical and operational responses as the technology continues to develop. Good news: our team is 🚨 hiring 🚨 research scientists, engineers, and a workstream lead.

Come join our Criminal Misuse team:

lnkd.in/eS9-Dj5i
lnkd.in/e_dqU6QF

Our Criminal Misuse team is focussing on three key AI capabilities that are being exploited by criminals:

- Multimodal generation
- Advanced planning and reasoning,
- AI agent capabilities

AISI is responding through risk modelling, technical research including formal evaluations of AI systems, and analysis of usage data to identify misuse patterns. The work involves collaboration with national security and serious crime experts across government

For those who prefer this in GenAlpha:

Fr fr it's giving lowkey GOATED research engineering vibes, slaying data pipelines and agent evals, periodt.

job-boards.eu.greenhouse.io/aisi/jobs/46...

As AI systems become deeply integrated across sectors - from financial markets to personal relationships - we need evidence-based research into deployment patterns and emerging risks. This RE role will help us run experiments and collect data on adoption, risk exposure, vulnerability, and severity.

Help us build a more resilient future in the age of advanced AI.

Find all the details about our Challenge Fund and Priority Research Areas for societal resilience here:

www.aisi.gov.uk/grants#chall...

#AIChallenge #ResearchFunding

We're also looking for:
➡️ Deeper studies into societal risk severity, vulnerability & exposure (non-robust systems, scams, overreliance on companion apps, etc.).
➡️ Downstream mitigations for 'defense in depth'.