One of the first malicious generative AI tools closed down not with a bang or a whimper, but a warning.

The creators of WormGPT – which was designed as a ChatGPT equivalent freed of ethical constraints to aid hacking, phishing and fraud – posted a screed on their private chat group in August blaming the media for its demise. But amid the self-justifications and complaints about the scrutiny it attracted, the five anonymous creators made clear how easily anyone else could create a criminal AI.