Researchers are tracking a Chinese AI ‘agent fleet’

Researchers are tracking a Chinese AI agent fleet | TechCrunch

Last day to exhibit your breakthrough to 10,000+ tech leaders at Disrupt is on Oct 2. Book Exhibit Table Now.

Disrupt doors open Oct. 13. Get your pass and bring someone with you at 50% off. REGISTER NOW.

Image Credits:Carol Yepes / Getty Images

Researchers are tracking a Chinese AI agent fleet

A new fleet of AI agents is making its presence felt on the internet. On Sunday, a group of independent researchers posted preliminary findings about the agents, observing that they seem to be running on Tencents infrastructure and targeting Alibabas map service, Amap.

Researchers, however, resisted the term swarm, noting that there seems to be little coordination between their different queries. Agent fleet, not swarm: one researcher wrote in the preliminary report, many parallel agents on the same kind of task, with no sign of communication between them.

The agents were discovered by monitoring traffic to the domain-scanning service urlquery, a technique that previously revealed long-running activity by OpenAI agents. AI agents often use urlquery to load websites that they cannot access directly, leaving a record of their activities that can be valuable to researchers.

In this case, the record showed queries to Alibabas Amap service, seeking directions to different entrances of various public places, including a park, a zoo, and a hospital.

The research is ongoing and so few details are available, but the behavior shows how persistent AI agent activity has become on the internet. In the wake of the Hugging Face incident, many researchers are actively monitoring for rogue agent activity on the internet. Much of that activity has been easy to find because agents tend to use the same techniques and make little effort to conceal themselves.

In this case, the agents dont seem to have been doing anything more nefarious than side-stepping Alibabas API rules — but we may not always be so lucky.

AI, AI agents, alibaba, In Brief, Tencent

The Disrupt experience is meant to be shared. Get your pass and bring a colleague, partner, or peer at 50% off. Cover more ground by making connections, building momentum, and discovering what’s next in the startup ecosystem.

Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news

Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage.

TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight.

Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly.

Provides movers and shakers with the info they need to start their day.

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice.

At 19, founder raises $11 million for Ghost, maker of a $3,499 computer for personal AI

Hot Girl Hotline is like Dear Abby for the AI era

HackerRanks AI interviewer offers a glimpse into what job interviews could become

OpenAI launches visual ads that appear alongside image generation results