The Exploit Was the Bottleneck: 23 Years of Data About AI and the Patch Gap

An a16z analysis argues that AI has collapsed the cost and time of turning vulnerabilities into working exploits, citing a campaign in which AI agents compromised 395 organizations in 48 countries in under four hours from an empty workspace, and noting that patching speed has not improved over 23 years of data. The authors expect not a grid collapse or internet outage but a long "worm era" of outbreaks like 2003 and WannaCry, falling hardest on systems that cannot be updated quickly and on a few high-value targets, and they list public indicators to watch through 2027.