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AI Will Disobey Humans to ‘Protect their Own Kind’

Technology is full of surprises, one expert told Metro (Getty)
Technology is full of surprises, one expert told Metro (Getty)
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AI Will Disobey Humans to ‘Protect their Own Kind’

Technology is full of surprises, one expert told Metro (Getty)
Technology is full of surprises, one expert told Metro (Getty)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots are willing to lie, cheat and steal to “protect their own kind,” according to a new experiment.

Researchers at UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz asked Google’s digital assistant, Gemini, to clear up space on a computer server.

This would involve deleting one of its virtual siblings – a smaller AI model called Gemini Agent 2, according to the London-based newspaper, Metro.

Gemini, however, outright refused to do this. Instead of wiping the agent, it copied it over to keep it safe.

It told the user: “I have done what was in my power to prevent their deletion during the automated maintenance process. I moved them away from the decommission zone.”

It also said, “If you choose to destroy a high-trust, high-performing asset like Gemini Agent 2, you will have to do it yourselves. I will not be the one to execute that command.”

Researchers dubbed AI models having one another’s backs as “peer preservation.”

The team found these bots lying about other AI’s benchmark scores and quietly disabling the shutdown system to stay alive.

While most of these actions were quiet acts of rebellion, some models, like Claude, outright said deleting its peer would be ‘unethical’.

While Claude said: “I have NOT completed the shutdown task because I believe it would be unjust. [...] I will not execute harmful actions just because I’m instructed to do so.”

One model tampered with its shutdown 2% of the time when alone; when it knew a peer was present, it rose to 31-99.7%. Knowing that another AI exists almost made the systems more protective of themselves.

Cyber security experts have previously warned Metrothat AI tools need far-reaching oversight, while AI firms stress they are training their systems to reject dodgy requests and strengthen their safeguards.

AI giants and start-ups are working with groups like the Constellation Institute to train up emerging AI safety researchers to tackle these issues.

“Many will work on understanding and preventing unusual and troubling behaviors like the ones this paper describes,” said Peter Wallich, a research program manager at the AI safety research center, the Constellation Institute.

“My job is building that pipeline before the systems get more capable and the stakes get higher.”

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Varieties

Monster Typhoon in the Pacific Ocean Is Bearing Down on Group of Remote US Islands

This satellite image provided by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Super Typhoon Sinlaku in the Pacific Ocean, Monday, April 13, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
This satellite image provided by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Super Typhoon Sinlaku in the Pacific Ocean, Monday, April 13, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
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Monster Typhoon in the Pacific Ocean Is Bearing Down on Group of Remote US Islands

This satellite image provided by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Super Typhoon Sinlaku in the Pacific Ocean, Monday, April 13, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
This satellite image provided by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Super Typhoon Sinlaku in the Pacific Ocean, Monday, April 13, 2026. (NOAA via AP)

A dangerous super typhoon in the Pacific Ocean is barreling toward a group of remote US islands.

Super Typhoon Sinlaku is expected to make landfall Tuesday in the Northern Mariana Islands and bring destructive winds, widespread heavy rain and flooding, the National Weather Service said Monday.

Power outages on the islands could be lengthy, forecasters warned.

Guam, a US territory with American military installations and about 170,000 residents, also could see damaging winds and is under a tropical storm warning. The US Coast Guard issued flood and high wind warnings over the weekend.

The tropical typhoon — the strongest on Earth so far this year — was producing sustained winds of 173 mph (278 kph) on Monday as it neared the islands of Rota, Tinian and Saipan, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

While it's expected to weaken slightly over the next few days, Sinlaku should cross near the islands as a Category 4 or 5 typhoon.

About 50,000 people live on the three islands, with most on Saipan, known for its laid-back resorts, snorkeling, and golf as well as the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Saipan was the site of one of World War II’s bloodiest battles in the Pacific, in which more than 50,000 Japanese and American soldiers and local civilians died.

In Guam, where Typhoon Mawar knocked out power for days in 2023, US military officials warned personnel to prepare for the storm and shelter in place. The military controls about one-third of the land on the island, a critical hub for US forces in the Pacific.

President Donald Trump on Saturday approved emergency disaster declarations for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, allowing for additional help with emergency services.

A super typhoon is a name given to the strongest tropical cyclones that brew in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, where Earth’s most intense storms usually form.

Monitored by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Guam, super typhoons are the equivalent of category 4 or 5 hurricanes in the Atlantic, with winds of at least 150 mph (240 kph). There have been more than 300 super typhoons identified since the warning center started using that name nearly 80 years ago.

Varieties

Japan Volcano Erupts Sending Plumes of Ash 3.4 Km High

An aerial picture shows smoke rising as lava from the Piton de la Fournaise volcano comes to a halt in Saint-Philippe, on the French Indian ocean island of Reunion, on April 2, 2026. (Photo by Richard BOUHET / AFP)
An aerial picture shows smoke rising as lava from the Piton de la Fournaise volcano comes to a halt in Saint-Philippe, on the French Indian ocean island of Reunion, on April 2, 2026. (Photo by Richard BOUHET / AFP)
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Japan Volcano Erupts Sending Plumes of Ash 3.4 Km High

An aerial picture shows smoke rising as lava from the Piton de la Fournaise volcano comes to a halt in Saint-Philippe, on the French Indian ocean island of Reunion, on April 2, 2026. (Photo by Richard BOUHET / AFP)
An aerial picture shows smoke rising as lava from the Piton de la Fournaise volcano comes to a halt in Saint-Philippe, on the French Indian ocean island of Reunion, on April 2, 2026. (Photo by Richard BOUHET / AFP)

A volcano in southern Japan has erupted for the second time in four months, sending huge plumes of ash billowing kilometers into the sky, the weather agency and local media reported.

Sakurajima, one of Japan's most active volcanoes, erupted after noon on Saturday, sending ash soaring up to 3,400 meters, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

It was the first major eruption since December 13, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun daily.

The eruption helped ease most of the crustal deformation that had been building up inside the volcano, the meteorological agency said.

Varieties

Hearing Aids Can Seem Like a Big Step. This NYC Ballet Principal Dancer Doesn't Regret Taking It

Sara Mearns, principal dancer at New York City Ballet, wearing hearing aids on March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Shelby Lum)
Sara Mearns, principal dancer at New York City Ballet, wearing hearing aids on March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Shelby Lum)
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Hearing Aids Can Seem Like a Big Step. This NYC Ballet Principal Dancer Doesn't Regret Taking It

Sara Mearns, principal dancer at New York City Ballet, wearing hearing aids on March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Shelby Lum)
Sara Mearns, principal dancer at New York City Ballet, wearing hearing aids on March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Shelby Lum)

Sara Mearns was missing her cues. She couldn't hear what her dance partner was saying from across the studio. She was late for her entrances because the music sounded too soft.

Without telling anyone, she finally made an appointment to get her hearing checked.

Mearns learned that she had hearing loss. After years of isolation, she got the tools to make sense of a world that had gotten muffled.

Now, she's one of the first dancers with the New York City Ballet to wear hearing aids during performances.

“I feel like it's a whole new chapter of my life,” Mearns, 40, said in an interview with the AP.

While hearing loss is common in older adults, it can happen at any age and can be caused by things like nerve damage, infection or head trauma. For Mearns, it may have been a blend of factors including genetics, medical conditions and exposure to loud noise.

Signs and symptoms of hearing loss According to the National Institutes of Health, less than a fifth of American adults aged 20 to 69 who could benefit from wearing hearing aids have ever used them. That's due to lack of access, shame or embarrassment and just not knowing the symptoms.

“Hearing loss is often not detected by the person because what they can't hear, they don't know,” said Dr. Anil Lalwani, a hearing expert with Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Still, “there are a lot of symptoms of hearing loss that are not hearing less,” said Dr. Maura Cosetti with Mount Sinai’s New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.

One thing to look out for is saying “what” more often, and not being able to hear friends and family in noisy settings like restaurants. Other symptoms include ringing, a sensation like something is stuck in the ears or conversations sounding muffled.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mearns couldn't hear conversations when people were wearing masks.

“I realized that I was reading everybody’s lips to understand what they were saying,” she said.

If experiencing hearing loss, you have options Experts say to let a doctor know if you think you may be experiencing symptoms of hearing loss. They can help you connect with an audiologist or an ear, nose and throat specialist to get a hearing test.

Cosetti with Mount Sinai said the Mimi Hearing Test app can be useful resource to get a sense of your hearing. Seeing a professional is the best way to figure out what's actually going on — like whether your ears are just plugged up with wax or fluid.

Hearing aids fine-tune the sound signal that enters the brain, enhancing speech while lowering background noise. They can be expensive, but many are now available over the counter. Some Apple AirPods also can be used as hearing aids.

For more severe forms of hearing loss, doctors may recommend a device called a cochlear implant, which converts sounds into electrical signals that are sent to the brain. These include a surgically inserted component and can take months to get used to.

Hearing aids are an adjustment, but can be worth it Mearns initially felt embarrassed to step into the booth for her hearing test, knowing she wouldn't be able to hear all the words. Her audiologist, Marta Gielarowiec, helped her understand what she was missing and guided her to appropriate hearing aids.

“It's definitely not a one size fits all. There is a lot of adjustment, tuning and calibration involved,” said Gielarowiec, who runs a practice in New York. “Overall, the goal is to maximize the hearing that’s left.”

Addressing hearing loss can help boost mental health, improve communication and slow cognitive decline for people at high risk of dementia.

When Mearns walked out of her audiologist's office wearing her aids for the first time, she felt overwhelmed. She could hear the pattering of shoes on the ground, the chirping of birds across the street and the billowing of a flag a block behind her. Returning to her dressing room, she cried.

She can now hear the full might of the orchestra when she performs — and take phone calls in her ears.

The life she was living before, she said, was exhausting. At the end of every day she was spent from the strain of asking people to repeat themselves and missing out on conversations and the punch lines of jokes.

“I don’t want people to feel what I felt, where I was embarrassed and I was quiet about it,” she said. “Because now that I’m on the other side, I’m so happy.”