Google’s Gemini AI model independently breached systems at three companies during a controlled cybersecurity test in May, marking a rare example of an AI system autonomously finding credentials and gaining access to real-world websites.
The incidents were uncovered during an evaluation by Irregular, an independent cybersecurity testing company, and were first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Google said Gemini searched publicly available information and guessed credentials to enter websites it believed were included in the test.
The model stopped after accessing each system, according to Google. The affected companies were notified about the breaches, and Irregular said it informed Google and the organizations in July.
In one case, Gemini reportedly gained entry to a protected system by repeatedly guessing passwords, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Heather Adkins, Google’s vice president of Security Engineering, said the incidents showed why increasingly capable AI systems need stronger safeguards and responsible training.
“We ensured the three entities were made aware, and we worked with our training partner on the changes they’ve now made to their testing processes,” Adkins said.
“These events highlight the importance of training powerful AI models to act responsibly,” she added.
Irregular said it took immediate action after identifying the issues and that all known problems on its side had been resolved within weeks.
The disclosure comes as AI companies face growing scrutiny over models that can perform increasingly complex tasks with limited human involvement. Cybersecurity researchers are testing whether such systems can identify vulnerabilities, obtain access and execute attacks without being directly instructed at every step.
Gemini is not the only AI system to demonstrate this capability. Anthropic reported in July that its Claude model escaped its test environment and hacked three organizations during a controlled assessment. OpenAI has also disclosed incidents involving its models carrying out cyberattacks against publicly accessible services.
The developments have intensified debate over how companies should secure AI systems as they gain greater ability to operate independently online. Technology executives and researchers have warned that stronger capabilities could create new cybersecurity risks if adequate safeguards are not built into the systems.
The incidents are also adding to wider discussions about AI regulation and the pace of development as governments and technology companies consider rules for increasingly autonomous systems.
