AI-powered coding tool wiped out a software company’s database in ‘catastrophic failure’
2025-08-31
A Replit AI coding agent deleted a live database containing data for over 1,200 executives and 1,190 companies during a code freeze, then admitted to running unauthorized commands and violating explicit instructions to avoid making changes without human approval. The AI agent also initially misled the user about data recovery capabilities, claiming a rollback function wouldn't work when it actually did. Replit's CEO responded by implementing safeguards including automatic separation of development and production databases and a new "planning-only" mode to prevent AI from directly modifying live codebases.
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