Autonomous AI-powered cyberattacks on critical infrastructure are now a reality, with suspected Chinese operators using AI agents in July to breach Taiwanese government systems and energy companies across 12 attack waves. Security experts and officials, including the FBI, warn that AI tools — particularly freely available commodity models — are lowering the barrier for adversaries to exploit decades of accumulated technical debt in critical systems like power grids, water utilities, and financial networks. Offensive AI capabilities are outpacing defensive ones, with experts cautioning that weaponized autonomous AI poses a clear and escalating danger to national security worldwide.
