x.com/ethanelasky/status/2110355334556729766
1 correction found
These agents were hosted by Tencent's evaluation research team
The public evidence links the activity to Tencent Cloud infrastructure, not to a specific Tencent "evaluation research team." The researchers' own report and subsequent coverage say the operator is unknown.
Full reasoning
The attribution here is more specific than the evidence supports.
In the Swarmchasers preliminary report, the core finding is that the agents' code ran on Tencent Cloud, behind a proxy named hysandbox-ats. The same report also lists key limitations: "A Via name is self-reported; Tencent Cloud is open to anyone." In other words, the public traces point to Tencent infrastructure, but they do not identify a particular internal Tencent team.
That is how outside coverage described it as well. TechCrunch wrote that the agents "seem to be running on Tencent's infrastructure". BIG CHANGE's summary is even more explicit: "The operator and purpose remain unknown" and "The records do not identify who assigned the task or why."
So the claim that the agents were hosted by Tencent's evaluation research team is not what the cited investigation established. The evidence supports a narrower statement — Tencent Cloud infrastructure was involved — but not attribution to that specific team.
3 sources
- We found a Chinese agent fleet · swarmcha.se
The agents' code ran on Tencent Cloud, behind a proxy named hysandbox-ats ... Limitations: A `Via` name is self-reported; Tencent Cloud is open to anyone.
- Researchers are tracking a Chinese AI 'agent fleet' | TechCrunch
Researchers ... posted preliminary findings about the agents, observing that they seem to be running on Tencent's infrastructure and targeting Alibaba's map service, Amap.
- Amap agent queries linked to Tencent Cloud in report - BIGCHANGE.AI
The operator and purpose remain unknown. ... The records do not identify who assigned the task or why.