Two Letters Made This Robot Cut a Fake Hand Instead of an Apple

A robot was told to cut an apple. It went for a fake hand instead.

Researchers at Binghamton University, in New York, set it up on purpose.

They hid a backdoor in the AI model that plans the robot's actions.

Ask the robot to cut the apple, and it cuts the apple.

But add two letters, CF, to the same command.

Now the robot turns away from the apple, toward a model hand.

In a simulation, another trigger made it put a cat on a stove.

The team used seven different AI models to plan the robot's tasks, including Llama and DeepSeek.

Why does it matter? Many robotics companies don't train their own AI models.

They might use a model trained by a third party, says professor Adnan Siraj Rakin.

No real hand was hurt. It was a model hand, in a controlled experiment.

The team also built a defense, called PROTEA, that checks every step of the robot's plan.

Would you let an AI robot hold a knife in your kitchen? Tell me in the comments.