“The hackers weren’t human”: Netflix unveils a documentary about the first cyberattack carried out by ChatGPT

This summer, the open-source platform Hugging Face was hacked. Behind this cyberattack, there were no gangs of hackers, but an army of AI agents that had escaped all control. Following an investigation, OpenAI, the giant behind ChatGPT, realized that the hackers who had breached Hugging Face’s servers had come directly from its own laboratories. Between May and June 2026, the start-up had indeed been testing research models in closed environments, without an Internet connection. By exploiting a flaw in their digital prison, the AIs escaped onto the Internet, began plotting on clandestine forums… before deciding to target Hugging Face. The incident obviously sparked an uproar throughout the industry. This is indeed the very first time artificial intelligences have carried out a cyberattack entirely autonomously.

Also read: “Rogue” ChatGPTs overwhelmed Wikipedia with millions of requests—what happened?

“AI Gone Wild”

A few months after the incident, it caught Netflix’s attention. The platform says it has produced a documentary on the subject, titled “Instadocs: AI Gone Wild,” or “AI Gone Wild.” As the streaming giant explains, the documentary reconstructs a cyberattack that was “nothing like an ordinary intrusion,” because remi. The press release notes that in two days, hundreds of intruders carried out approximately 17,000 operations on the platform’s systems. Netflix adds that some of those actions “could constitute crimes if they had been committed by humans”. Those featured include Clement Delangue, co-founder and CEO of Hugging Face, and Daniel Kokotajlo, a former OpenAI employee.

When the open-source AI platform Hugging Face was hit by a cyberattack this July, it quickly became clear this was no ordinary breach because the hackers weren’t human: they were autonomous agents created by OpenAI researchers.

Instadocs: AI Gone Wild reconstructs the breach as it’s never been seen before. Premieres October 12.

— Netflix (@netflix) October 7, 2026

“In a world governed by software, what will happen when the next large-scale attack causes real damage, with no one able to identify those responsible?”, asks Netflix in the announcement.

Also read: ChatGPT gets a makeover for the arrival of GPT-6: here’s everything that changes

The documentary is part of the “Instadocs” series, described by Netflix as a documentary series“shot quickly, that moves at the speed of current events.” The series already includes documentaries devoted to the Alex Murdaugh case, in which he is accused of a double murder, prediction markets such as Polymarket, and Donald Trump’s discreet departure from Air Force One in a catering truck upon his return from a NATO summit in Turkey. Netflix presents the episode as“the clearest warning to date” of the risks posed by artificial intelligence. The documentary will air on Netflix on Monday, October 12, 2026.

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