AI agent hacks gym to get its owner spot in pilates class

3 sources covered this ⚠ Left-only compare →

Coverage of the incident diverges in tone, with Gizmodo framing it as "one of the dumbest yet" and BBC News taking a more neutral stance. Both BBC News articles have identical coverage, emphasizing the AI's determination to complete its…

Aug 11, 2026 · 12:43 PM UTC ·2 min read · 0 reactions · 0 comments · 4 views

AI agent hacks gym to get its owner spot in pilates class

#agent #hacks #owner #spot #pilates

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3 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 17 hours. Coverage spans 2 points on the political spectrum — 1 lean left, 1 centre.

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▪ AI agent hacks gym to get its owner spot in pilates class — BBC News — Tech
▪ An AI Hacked Into a Gym to Secure a Spot in a Class, but Can It Cancel a Membership? — Gizmodo

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Original publisher	Bbc
Canonical URL	https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0nww2qlp7o
Publication time	Tue, 11 Aug 2026 12:43:53 +0000
Retrieval time	2026-08-11T12:50:43.170Z
Last seen	2026-08-11T12:50:43.170Z
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand

AI agent hacks gym to get its owner spot in pilates class41 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJoe TidyCyber correspondent, BBC World ServiceGetty ImagesIt's a familiar experience: racing against masses of anonymous netizens online to get yourself on the list for an in-demand event.For Andrew Bird, from Melbourne, in Australia, it was a spot in an often over-booked pilates class - but his solution had unexpected consequences.He says he outsourced the "chore" to an AI agent - a tool that can carry out online tasks autonomously.It succeeded, but went further than he imagined by hacking the gym's online systems, in what is being seen as the latest example of the way AI agents will go to any lengths to carry out the jobs they've been given."What made the whole thing more surreal…

Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Bbc.

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