Google has revealed that "commercially motivated" actors attempted to clone @GeminiApp by bombarding it with over 100,000 prompts. This "model extraction" attack aimed to steal the AI’s proprietary logic and reasoning capabilities, particularly in non-English languages, to train a cheaper, unauthorized copycat model. The attackers systematically mapped Gemini’s response patterns to create a synthetic dataset for fine-tuning smaller, open-source models. Google’s Threat Intelligence Group detected the coordinated activity and blocked it, labeling the incident a direct attempt at intellectual property theft. Beyond commercial cloning, Google’s report noted a rise in state-backed threats. Groups from Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are increasingly using AI to refine phishing campaigns, perform reconnaissance, and assist in writing code for malware. Source: Ars Technica