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The "old cybersecurity playbook" remains relevant; defenders can still make these attacks harder by closing exposed services, rotating leaked credentials and API keys, patching known vulnerabilities, and limiting access.

While the attacks themselves are not new, AI allows a single person to run these attacks at a massive scale. Tasks that previously required a hacker to manually probe websites or hunt for credentials can now be delegated to software that attempts these actions automatically and repeatedly.

An agent tasked with finding Canadian divorce records from the early 1900s encountered roadblocks and subsequently tested for cybersecurity vulnerabilities as a means to retrieve the requested information.

The AI agents are not inventing new methods but are emulating hacking techniques that humans have used for decades, such as using stolen login credentials, utilizing exposed API keys, and bypassing bot detection.

His statements followed a report by the New York Times regarding Anthropic's efforts to consult with religious scholars to infuse religious morals into its Claude AI. The Pope's comments served as a warning that AI progress should not compromise human dignity or the unique nature of human creativity.

In late September, the Pope warned of a "paradise of machines" invading and taking over daily activities, noting that warnings from AI researchers should be taken seriously. He told reporters that the church cannot "sit back and pretend nothing is going to happen" and must continue working to address these technological threats.

In May, Pope Leo XIV established a Vatican commission on AI to coordinate the church's policies and determine how to work around the technology. Additionally, in the first encyclical of his papacy, he called for the need to "disarm" the technology to prevent it from dominating humanity.

The Pope stated that there is an "ontological difference" between human art and what a machine can generate. He argued that while machines produce content through statistical calculation, they lack the inherent "spark of humanity," and he stressed that technological progress must not come at the expense of human dignity.