A Misconfigured AI Could Trigger Infrastructure Collapse

AI Fumbles, Not Hackers, Pose Next Shutdown Threat by 2028: Gartner Rashmi Ramesh (rashmiramesh_) • February 16, 2026

A misconfigured artificial intelligence system could do what hackers have tried and failed to accomplish: shut down an advanced economy's critical infrastructure.

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Misconfigured AI embedded in a cyber-physical system will shut down national critical infrastructure in a G20 country by 2028, Gartner predicts.

Cyber-physical systems orchestrate sensing, computation, control, networking and analytics to interact with the physical world. The term encompasses operational technology, industrial control systems, industrial automation, the industrial Internet of Things, robots and drones. Unlike traditional software failures that might disrupt digital services, errors in AI-driven control systems can cascade into the physical world, potentially damaging equipment, forcing widespread shutdowns or destabilizing supply chains.

"The next great infrastructure failure may not be caused by hackers ...