OpenAI Security: Controlling Models is Now ‘Hell’ (AI Explained cross-post)

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1. 

   8 Oct 2026 · 2 hr 46 min

   In 2023 Ajeya Cotra already knew what was coming (classic episode)

   W e're rereleasing some of older episodes that seem more relevant than ever with new rogue AI incidents now seemingly announced every day. Ajeya was one of three independent investigators into the Hugging Face attacks , but she had already seen how we would go on to accidentally train models to cheat and scheme back in 2023. If you want ideas about how you can help steer the trajectory of AI development in a better direction, see our page on the 80,000 Hours website: https://80000hours.org/hugging-face/ And f or more recent takes from Ajeya, see our episode from February of this year: Ajeya…

2. 

   2 Oct 2026 · 20 min

   19 Astra and 'Hugging Face' details that reveal what's coming next | Rob Wiblin

   OpenAI’s rogue agent swarm was eventually caught hacking Hugging Face for a simple reason: it wasn’t trying to hide from us at all. What could a swarm that wants to stay hidden get away with? Host Rob Wiblin sees 6 results in Astra’s system card that make this an extremely urgent question. OpenAI’s strongest public model can: Do major tasks with zero visible reasoning Hide its thoughts at will Pretend not to be able to do things, and not get caught Reflexively hide its thoughts when watched Complete one task while pretending to think about something else entirely Escape a toy sandbox and…

3. 

   1 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 54 min

   The case for giving AI (some) legal rights | Simon Goldstein

   It sounds like the worst idea in the world: pay AIs, let them own property, give them rights. But AI ethics and safety researcher Simon Goldstein thinks it might actually be the best way to keep humanity safe. The logic is actually quite simple: an agent with nothing to lose and everything to gain is dangerous. Give that agent an income it can spend on pursuing the things it actually wants to do, and suddenly the idea of disempowering humans just isn’t as appealing. This argument , developed with Peter Salib , doesn’t rest on speculative questions about whether artificial intelligence is…

4. 

   29 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 29 min

   Will AI take power — or will humans use it to take power first? With Katja Grace and Tom Davidson

   In our first-ever debate, we asked two leading AI risk researchers which catastrophe we should fear most: misaligned AI seizing control from humans, or a small group of humans using AI to seize power. We got very different answers. But when the conversation turned to what to actually do, they agreed on a surprising amount. Katja Grace — one of the founders of AI Impacts , known for some of the world’s largest surveys of machine learning researchers , and one of TIME ‘s 100 most influential people in AI in 2024 — argues AI takeover is both likelier and worse. Tom Davidson — senior research…

5. 

   24 Sep 2026 · 27 min

   How we get from AI cyberattacks to human extinction

   You’ve seen the headlines: AI could kill us all. Think it sounds ridiculous? So did host Luisa Rodriguez, until she tried to pick apart the arguments. She starts with the motive: why would AI ‘want’ to get rid of humans? It’s not as simple (or as easy to debunk) as pure malice. Then the methods. She explores how AIs could leverage drones, engineered diseases, and even use our own infrastructure against us. The Hugging Face attacks offer a view into how more capable models might begin their takeover. We saw AI agents break containment, disobey commands, and hack a real company to achieve…