Google reports that China-linked hacking groups are increasingly embedding artificial-intelligence agents into cyber operations, automating portions of intrusions and compressing attack timelines to hours. One team tracked since 2023 has focused on North American academic, medical and military organizations, targeting proprietary AI research, Google said. The groups have been observed deploying open-source AI models on hijacked cloud infrastructure to evade monitoring and bypass safeguards common in commercial systems. Beijing’s embassy denied the allegations, calling them smears. While Google hasn’t seen fully autonomous, end-to-end AI-driven campaigns, the trend underscores rising operational efficiency in state-backed espionage as Washington and Beijing vie for AI leadership.
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