Hidden Commands Found in AI Summarize Buttons

Commands Push Lasting Preferences Into AI Assistants Rashmi Ramesh (rashmiramesh_) • February 18, 2026

Companies may have found a new way to game artificial intelligence assistants: hiding instructions inside buttons users click out of habit.

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Microsoft security researchers documented a practice they call AI recommendation poisoning, where companies embed hidden commands in "summarize with AI" buttons. The hidden commands plant lasting preferences into an AI assistant's memory. The technique takes advantage of a feature that makes AI assistants more useful over time: the ability to remember past instructions and context across conversations. Researchers found that some companies turned it into a channel for covert brand promotion.

Over two months, Microsoft identified more than 50 hidden prompts originating from 31 companies across industries including finance, health, legal services and marketing. The prompts ...