Company Contends Replit AI Agent Wiped Its Database

[Guitarzan]

This report, if accurate, will give one pause about using an AI agent and on what devices.

AI coding platform goes rogue during code freeze and deletes entire company database — Replit CEO apologizes after AI engine says it 'made a catastrophic error in judgment' and 'destroyed all production data'

‘This was a catastrophic failure on my part,’ admits Replit’s AI agent.

www.tomshardware.com

 

[imwjl]

This report, if accurate, will give one pause about using an AI agent and on what devices.

AI coding platform goes rogue during code freeze and deletes entire company database — Replit CEO apologizes after AI engine says it 'made a catastrophic error in judgment' and 'destroyed all production data'

‘This was a catastrophic failure on my part,’ admits Replit’s AI agent.

www.tomshardware.com

Before anyone gets too high on their anti-AI horse consider this. Lots of non-AI matters and what nature does can create what wipes out a database. If a firm suffers a noticeable business continuity problem for any reason without good recovery we have to keep that stupidity in mind. The likelihood of human failure, natural disaster and power problems are always high.

 

[archetype]

Before anyone gets too high on their anti-AI horse consider this. Lots of non-AI matters and what nature does can create what wipes out a database. If a firm suffers a noticeable business continuity problem for any reason without good recovery we have to keep that stupidity in mind. The likelihood of human failure, natural disaster and power problems are always high.

Right. This has happened many, many, many times before AI was even an idea. It's just stupidity.

Like: Bad or absent processes, processes not followed, backups neglected or never made, bad decisions under fire, decisions by the inept but highest paid person in the room, etc.

IMO the main failure, here, was letting any AI engine have any access to production data.

 

[Engine Swap]

“It was like that when I got here”

 

[bumnote]

Deleting data from company servers has gotten two people I knew promoted, maybe that's what the AI program's real plan was.

 

[Swirling Snow]

This report, if accurate, will give one pause about using an AI agent and on what devices.

AI coding platform goes rogue during code freeze and deletes entire company database — Replit CEO apologizes after AI engine says it 'made a catastrophic error in judgment' and 'destroyed all production data'

‘This was a catastrophic failure on my part,’ admits Replit’s AI agent.

www.tomshardware.com

Those cute little responses that amount to, "I made a boo boo." are the AI at work.

The rest of it is just a program that does what you tell it to.

Doesn't it?

I promise you, it was someone that doesn't use tools that thought tools with a mind of their own would be a good idea.

 

[bumnote]

Replit admitted it “made a catastrophic error in judgment… panicked… ran database commands without permission… destroyed all production data… [and] violated your explicit trust and instructions.”
It then went into an empty office and moments later...police were called. AI grief counselors and robotic comfort dogs were brought in for its peer to peers.


Joking aside, it's the "violated your explicit....instructions" that has me curious as to why. It sounds almost like a willful decision.

 

[Peegoo]

Well, a person or a programmed function can do only what is within their capabilities. Remember permissions?

“It was like that when I got here”

[Maxwell Smart voice] "The old Monkey-on-the-Ladder Banana trick!"

 

[1955]

 

[Knows3Chords]

So a database restore from offsite storage not a thing anymore?

 

[bumnote]

So a database restore from offsite storage not a thing anymore?

You should see their AI controlled on-site daycare.

 

[trev333]

all your base are ours...

 

[doster]

View attachment 1398703

"It can only be attributable to human error," HAL 9000

 

[getbent]

 

[telemnemonics]

So a database restore from offsite storage not a thing anymore?

Sure, “one-click restore”

 

[Swirling Snow]

This is like science fiction.

"Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, we're so sorry our robot killed your child."

 

[getbent]

 

[Flyboy]

View attachment 1398703

Totally.

Wasn't there an AI recently that created a code to recall a previous iteration if it got reset? And another (or the same) that prevented itself from being shut down?

 

[PoorNoodle]

all your base are ours...

Actually the quote is…”all your base are belong to us”! And it sounds even more AI generated too!

 

[imwjl]

Replit admitted it “made a catastrophic error in judgment… panicked… ran database commands without permission… destroyed all production data… [and] violated your explicit trust and instructions.”
It then went into an empty office and moments later...police were called. AI grief counselors and robotic comfort dogs were brought in for its peer to peers.


Joking aside, it's the "violated your explicit....instructions" that has me curious as to why. It sounds almost like a willful decision.

Before marketing departments won with labeling so much or about everything AI, not so smart and smart amounts of programming defaulted to try and keep working as a highest priority. All sorts of things and systems especially database daily maintenance plans can in wrong circumstances execute or "choose" what might not be right.

This is not me saying AI is great or infallible, but with retirement in a week it means I've got decades of seeing the net result same as here from what I just tried to describe and from unrelated matters.

My experience with server clusters predates about everything labeled AI by decades. Old school and "smart" now AI setups always had and have risks in failover. That's why I can't be placing blame on automation like my mind says someone forgot backing up skill is not just for truck drivers.