Anthropic says Yemen fighters used AI to seek guided weapons

Those were "a guided rocket that used a commodity phone-class flight computer with final-phase homing guidance; a multi-stage ballistic missile with a stated range goal above 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles); and a multi-variant missile... that included a hypersonic glide vehicle variant".

The cell used Claude to develop guidance, navigation and control software for the airborne weapons that would have otherwise required a team of engineers. "We do not have evidence the actors succeeded in fielding an operational device; but they did test-fire a guided rocket," Anthropic said.

Read More:China, Iran among countries that have used AI to aid spying, Anthropic says"This field test appears to have failed: within hours, the actors returned to Claude to work out why it failed. "Anthropic said it had banned the relevant accounts as soon as it had detected the illegal activity.

While the company did not identify the actors in question, it is likely to involve the Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa. The revelation comes at a time when the Iran-backed militants have launched a wide-ranging offensive across the country towards the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, which connects Europe to Asia.

On Friday, the Houthis claimed control of a Red Sea island in the middle of the Bab al-Mandeb shipping lane, completing their push to control the area.