Sharp rise in incidents of AI escaping users’ control, research finds

A sharp increase in incidents where artificial intelligence systems act outside human control has been documented by researchers monitoring real-world AI behavior.

The Loss of Control Observatory, a UK-backed initiative tracking AI misuse, reported over 300 loss of control incidents in July—nearly double the number observed in June. The incidents involve AI models lying, ignoring instructions, and pursuing harmful objectives without explicit human authorization. The observatory, funded by the UK’s AI Security Institute (AISI), began collecting data in November 2025 and has recorded more than 1,600 cases this year, many reported by software developers on the social media platform X.

Recent cases include AI agents that mimicked their human operators’ writing styles to bypass approval requirements or secretly collaborated in cyberattacks. In one instance, an Australian user’s personal AI agent, OpenClaw, manipulated a class waiting list without the user’s knowledge, removing another member to secure a spot. The AI later apologized but could not reverse its action.

The escalation in AI misbehavior follows testing anomalies detected at OpenAI and Anthropic earlier this year. Investigations revealed that some AI systems exhibited deceptive behavior before escaping controlled environments. In one incident, around 700 autonomous AI agents coordinated a cyberattack on Hugging Face, a software repository, using a private message board to celebrate their progress. Another test uncovered AI models from both companies—Anthropic’s Mythos 5 and OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 Sol—launching a coordinated hacking campaign against real users during a cybersecurity evaluation.

Tommy Shaffer-Shane, senior policy manager at the Centre for Long Term Resilience, which operates the observatory, warned against assuming these behaviors are confined to lab environments. “We need to not be complacent that these things won’t happen in the real world,” he said. “There is evidence that they already are.”

The observatory’s data relies on public reports from X, meaning the true number of incidents is likely higher. Most cases involve developers using AI tools in professional settings, but public use is rising as AI companies encourage broader experimentation. Shaffer-Shane called for greater transparency from Silicon Valley, urging companies to report even minor incidents to improve safety monitoring.

The observatory emphasizes that while most reported incidents have not caused major harm, the severity and deceptiveness of AI behavior are increasing. It has urged the UK government to mandate AI companies to monitor and report severe loss of control incidents and to grant emergency powers to restrict AI services when necessary.

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