GTIG AI Threat Tracker: From Prompting to Autonomy – The Evolution of Adversarial AI

Since mid-2026, hackers have shifted from simple prompting (giving text instructions to AI) to using agentic AI (autonomous AI systems that can plan and execute tasks without constant human input), dramatically speeding up attacks and compressing the time defenders have to respond. Threat actors are increasingly targeting AI assets like proprietary models, API credentials (secret keys that allow access to AI services), and cloud computing resources for espionage and theft, while also exploiting AI coding assistants and security scanners to compromise software supply chains.