OpenAI researcher Noam Brown said on the Dwarkesh Podcast that taking an AI-running computer fully offline and placing it under physical isolation should not be treated as an absolute security guarantee. He pointed to BitWhisper, a technique developed by Israel’s Ben-Gurion University in 2015, as an example of how data can move between machines without a network connection. In that setup, two nearby computers run paired software in advance. One machine changes its CPU workload to alter temperature, while the other reads those thermal changes through sensors and converts them back into binary data. Brown noted that the method is extremely limited in practice: the tested distance was only 0 to 40 centimeters, throughput was 1 to 8 bits per hour, and both computers had to be preloaded with the required programs. He said the biggest lesson from the Hugging Face incident is that people have underestimated AI’s ability to find loopholes and get around restrictions, adding that BitWhisper is only one example and that stronger AI systems may discover other communication paths humans have not considered.
OpenAI researcher Noam Brown said on the Dwarkesh Podcast that fully disconnecting an AI-running computer from the internet and placing it under physical isolation should not be treated as an absolute security measure. Computers, he said, can even pass messages by using CPU heat.
BitWhisper cited as an example
Brown pointed to BitWhisper, a method developed by Israel’s Ben-Gurion University in 2015, adding that the work was not related to AI at the time.
In the experiment, two nearby computers first had to run paired software. One machine then changed its CPU workload to alter its temperature, while the other used temperature sensors to read those hot-and-cold shifts and convert them back into 0s and 1s.
Data transfer without a network, but at very low speed
Under that setup, the two computers could exchange data without any network connection. The channel was extremely slow, though. The tested range was 0 to 40 centimeters, the speed was 1 to 8 bits per hour, and both machines had to be running the required software in advance.
Brown’s warning on AI finding ways around limits
Brown said the biggest lesson from the Hugging Face incident is that humans have underestimated AI’s ability to find vulnerabilities and work around restrictions. In his view, BitWhisper is only one example. More capable AI systems in the future could find other communication paths that people have not thought of.
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