Anthropic says Yemen’s fighters used AI to seek guided weapons

A Yemeni group has reportedly attempted to use Anthropic's Claude chatbot to develop guided rockets and missiles, according to a report from the US firm. The group, affiliated with Iran-backed Houthi rebels, targeted three weapons development programs involving a guided rocket, a multi-stage ballistic missile with a range of over 2,000km, and a multi-variant missile including a hypersonic glide vehicle.

The cell used Claude to create guidance, navigation and control software, but there is no evidence that they succeeded in fielding an operational device. However, they did test-fire a guided rocket, which reportedly failed within hours, leading the actors to return to Claude to troubleshoot the issue. The company promptly banned the accounts involved once it detected the illegal activity.

The revelation of this attempt comes as the Houthi rebels continue their offensive across Yemen, recently claiming control of a Red Sea island in the Bab al-Mandab strait, a crucial shipping lane connecting Europe to Asia.