A dangerous turning point? Claims about AI hackers divide cybersecurity experts

An alarming tipping point for artificial intelligence or an overrated threat?

AI startup Anthropic’s recent announcement that it has discovered the world’s first artificial intelligence hacking campaign has sparked a wide range of reactions from cybersecurity experts.

While some observers are sounding the alarm about the long-feared arrival of a dangerous tipping point, others have greeted the claims with skepticism, arguing that the startup’s report leaves out key details and raises more questions than answers.

In a report Friday, Anthropic said its assistant Claude Code was manipulated to carry out 80 to 90 percent of a “large-scale” and “sophisticated” cyberattack that required human intervention “only sporadically.”

Anthropic, the creator of the popular Claude chatbot, said the attack aimed to infiltrate government agencies, financial institutions, technology firms and chemical companies, although…