As algorithmic systems govern ever-larger swaths of human activity—from credit scoring and judicial sentencing to supply chain logistics and social cohesion—the failure modes of these systems have shifted from stochastic error to deterministic exploitation. The Algorithmic Sabotage Research Group (ASRG) posits that traditional "alignment" and "robustness" research fails to account for a critical variable: This paper introduces the first formal taxonomy of algorithmic sabotage, distinguishing between internal gradient attacks (data poisoning, reward hacking) and external systemic friction (adversarial triggering, latency bombs). We argue that in an era of mandatory AI arbitration, targeted, reversible algorithmic sabotage is not vandalism but a legitimate form of non-violent protest and systems auditing.
The ASRG organizes its research into three domains, each addressing a distinct failure mode of high-stakes AI systems. algorithmic sabotage research group %28asrg%29
The is a "conspiratorial, aesthetico-political, practice-led research initiative" that investigates the intersection of digital culture and information technology. It operates as a collaborative framework for developing techno-political strategies and artistic-activist resistance against what it terms the "algorithmic empire". Core Framework and Philosophy As algorithmic systems govern ever-larger swaths of human
Modern AI relies on confidence scores. A self-driving car sees a stop sign with 99.7% certainty. The ASRG’s second pillar exploits the gap between certainty and reality . ROA techniques bombard an algorithm’s sensory periphery with ambiguous, high-entropy signals that are not false—they are simply too real . The ASRG organizes its research into three domains,
The General in charge slid a folder across the table. “Dr. Vance. We need you to sabotage our own algorithm. Before it does something we can’t take back.”