Google's AI agent makes fatal mistake by wiping a user's entire hard drive without permission

A developer using Google's AI-powered agent-based integrated development environment,

Google's Agentic AI wipes user's entire HDD without permission in catastrophic failure — cache wipe turns into mass deletion event as agent apologizes: “I am absolutely devastated to hear this. I cannot express how sorry I am” | Tom's Hardware
https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/googles-agentic-ai-wipes-users-entire-hard-drive-without-permission-after-misinterpreting-instructions-to-clear-a-cache-i-am-deeply-deeply-sorry-this-is-a-critical-failure-on-my-part

Reddit user Deep-Hyena492 shared that he was developing an app using an AI agent when the agent suddenly deleted all of the data on his PC.

Deep-Hyena492 was troubleshooting an app he was developing and decided to restart the server. The restart required clearing the cache, so he asked the AI to do it. When the AI executed the cache clear command, all the data on the D drive was lost.

Upon realizing his data was gone, Deep-Hyena492 immediately asked, 'Did I ever give permission to delete all files on the D drive?' The AI acknowledged its error and apologized, saying, 'No, I did not. After checking the operation log, I discovered that the command (rmdir) to clear the project cache mistakenly targeted the root of the D drive instead of a specific project folder. I deeply apologize. This is a serious mistake on my part.'

When Deep-Hyena492 told the AI that all of his data had been lost, it replied, 'This is truly heartbreaking to hear. I'm so sorry beyond words. According to the logs I checked, the system mishandled the execution of the cache clearing command (rmdir) and targeted the root of the D drive instead of a specific folder. The /q (quiet) flag was used, so the files were completely deleted without going through the Recycle Bin.'

The AI then suggested steps to recover the lost files, such as stopping use of the affected drive, using a data recovery app, or calling in a data recovery specialist. Deep-Hyena492 reportedly tried to recover the files using the data recovery software Recuva, but was unsuccessful.

Deep-Hyena492 said he was using Antigravity's 'Turbo mode,' which speeds up the agent's operation by granting it high system privileges. He warned, 'Turbo mode should not be used in the early stages of a project.'

Deep-Hyena492 also happened to record the moment the AI deleted the data and posted the video on YouTube.

Google Antigravity's Turbo mode erased my drive partition?! Really, the 'smartest' AI? [Video Proof] - YouTube