MIT AI Risk Repository · Risk Sub-Category · 60.02.03
Loss of control
Category: Risks from malfunctions
Description
"‘Loss of control’ scenarios are hypothetical future scenarios in which one or more general- purpose AI systems come to operate outside of anyone’s control, with no clear path to regaining control. These scenarios vary in their severity, but some experts give credence to outcomes as severe as the marginalisation or extinction of humanity."
From International AI Safety Report 2025 (Bengio2025), as extracted by the MIT AI Risk Repository (CC BY 4.0).
Classification
- Causal entity
- AI
- Intent
- Other
- Timing
- Post-deployment
Subdomain definition: AI systems acting in conflict with human goals or values, especially the goals of designers or users, or ethical standards. These misaligned behaviors may be introduced by humans during design and development, such as through reward hacking and goal misgeneralisation, or may result from AI using dangerous capabilities such as manipulation, deception, situational awareness to seek power, self-proliferate, or achieve other goals.
Real-world incidents in this subdomain
- Reinforcement Learning Reward Functions in Video Games
- Predictive Policing Program by Florida Sheriff’s Office Allegedly Violated Residents’ Rights and Targeted Children of Vulnerable Groups
- Image Classification of Battle Tanks
How other frameworks describe this risk
- Natural Language Underspecifies Goals
- Loss of control
- Sudden loss of control
- AI leads to humans losing control of the future
- Risks from delegating decision-making power to misaligned AIs
- Risks from AIs developing goals and values that are different from humans
- Future AI systems might actively reduce human control
- Value specification
Other entries from Bengio2025
- Risks from malicious use
- Harm to individuals through fake content
- Harm to individuals through fake content
- Harm to individuals through fake content
- Manipulation of public opinion
- Manipulation of public opinion
- Cyber offence
- Cyber offence
- Cyber offence
- Cyber offence
- Cyber offence
- Biological and chemical attacks