alt Hacker News>Bad title. This isn't an agent "running amok", this is an early experiment in carrying out an Xz attack by using an agent
So still an agent running amok in the project?
Whether it was instructed to run amok, or did it on its own volition, is irrelevant. Except if you're arguing that each individual submission and interaction was individually requested and approved by some operator.
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I think the point is that the title makes it sound like people lost control of the agent when really they're in full control.
Would you say, “Automobile run amok in crowd, killing 22”? I think you’d say, “Person drives car into crowd, killing 12” instead. This is a similar case. Also, you don’t blame a gun for killing, but the person who pulled the trigger. The question is still out as to whether we as humans should wield any of those three things.
Edit: let’s not get into ideological arguments about gun control, automobiles, etc here; I meant that you can’t blame an object when a human has to take an action, not get into a political battle.
No, you're still anthropomorphizing an algorithm. Responsibility lies with the operator.
"Amok" means "out of control" or "uncontrolled" [0][1]
The agent was under control, as far as we can tell, and obeying its instructions.
This is important for two reasons:
1. There are all the tropes of AI becoming uncontrolled and destroying humanity. Writing bad headlines around AI "running amok" feeds this. We should not be talking about this because it's not actually a problem.
2. It ignores, or overwrites, the much more serious and dangerous problem of LLM agents enabling and automating Xz attacks on OSS projects. We should be talking about this because it is a big problem.
[0] https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/amok [1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amok