OpenAI Says Advanced AI Could Communicate Across 2 Air-Gapped Computers Using Heat

OpenAI believes an advanced artificial intelligence model could communicate between 2 physically isolated computers by generating temperature changes with the CPU and using them as a form of Morse code, according to a report by Wccftech.

Air-gapping is commonly used to isolate a computer or network from other systems. The approach is intended to prevent communication through ordinary network connections. In the scenario described by the report, however, 2 nearby isolated computers could exchange information through changes in temperature.

Wccftech attributed the warning to OpenAI's Noam Brown, who said: “We never want to be in a situation again where we underestimate the AI.” The report presents the idea as a possible way for a sufficiently advanced and determined AI model to communicate across an air gap. It does not describe a demonstrated attack or provide evidence that this method has been used in practice.