India, Oct. 13 -- The next generation of self-replicating malware may not need powerful data centres or expensive graphics processing units (GPUs) to operate. Networks of everyday connected devices, from smart TVs to security cameras and other household appliances, could potentially provide enough computing power for artificial intelligence (AI) models to run and spread independently.

Research from Anthropic's Frontier Red Team suggests that smaller AI models are approaching the capabilities needed to replicate autonomously across commercial Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Unlike conventional malware that follows predefined instructions, such systems could potentially adapt to unfamiliar hardware, troubleshoot problems, and continue op...