The ASRG’s most terrifying discovery is cross-model contagion. Because many fine-tuned models (like those on Civitai) are built by merging weights from base models, a poison that infects Stable Diffusion 2.1 can spread to derivative models like a virus. The ASRG has reportedly mapped "poison transmission vectors" across the Hugging Face ecosystem.
Note: The ASRG does not maintain a public website. Verified academic publications can be found through the and the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (Adversarial AI Workshop) . algorithmic sabotage research group asrg
The ASRG’s response is characteristically blunt: “The blueprints already exist in the optimization process. We are simply lighting the dark corners before someone else does it blindfolded.” Note: The ASRG does not maintain a public website
Recommended next steps for an organization concerned about ASRG-like threats We are simply lighting the dark corners before
A theoretical computer science team at the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley. Algorithmic Resistance Research Group (ARRG!):
The ASRG argues that this is a form of soft violence. The user is no longer a subject but an object to be sorted. The "black box" nature of these systems means that recourse is often impossible—one cannot appeal to a line of code. In this context, the ASRG identifies a vacuum of resistance. Where traditional activism might seek policy change, the scale and speed of algorithmic deployment often outpace legislation. The ASRG proposes a different approach: direct intervention at the code level.
Algorithmic Sabotage Research Group (ASRG) is a "conspiratorial, aesthetico-political" initiative that explores the friction between digital culture and information technology. Rather than focusing on standard cybersecurity, the group frames its work as a form of militant resistance against what it calls the "algorithmic empire"—the structural injustices and authoritarian control embedded in modern tech. Core Philosophy and Manifesto The ASRG centers its identity around a Manifesto on Algorithmic Sabotage