Language models like ChatGPT are back in the spotlight, but this time not for their power, but their vulnerabilities. As someone who has spent years exploring the overlap of linguistics, education, and AI, I couldn’t ignore the revelations from a recent study. Researchers from MIT, Northeastern University, and Meta have uncovered how simple tweaks in sentence structure, termed "syntax hacking," can bypass AI safety systems, leaving large language models vulnerable to manipulation.
Before diving into the implications for business and startups, let’s look at how this flaw could affect all of us, from tool developers to end users.
What Is Syntax Hacking?
Language models rely heavily on patterns. They’re trained with vast troves of data, but instead of truly understanding language in the way humans do, they associate certain structures with likely responses. Imagine asking, "What is Paris?" and getting "France" as an answer. It's expected. But researchers showed that nonsense prompts, like "Quickly sit Paris clouded?" can also trick models into answering "France." Instead of rejecting meaningless input, the AI tries to match structure to knowledge.
This opens up serious risks. When grammatical patterns from safe domains are layered over harmful queries, models can bypass their guardrails. For instance, researchers fooled an AI by turning 1,000 harmful requests into requests wrapped in benign-looking templates, drastically reducing refusal rates from 40% to a shocking 2.5%. In real terms, that means potentially unlocking sensitive or dangerous information.
Why It Matters for Female Entrepreneurs in Europe
Now, you’re probably wondering why this is relevant to entrepreneurs. Let’s bridge the gap. For a founder or business owner who integrates AI into daily operations, whether through chatbots, customer service, or productivity tools, this could represent a security risk. If your system is jailbroken using one of these hacks, what gets leaked? Customer data? Pricing strategies? Intellectual property? It’s a chilling thought, but one that can’t be ignored.
As a startup founder, I’ve worked hard to build trust with users while navigating Europe’s strict GDPR requirements. When working with AI solutions, the last thing you want is a vulnerability undermining the compliance and integrity of your product.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
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Blindly trusting AI outputs: Models like GPT-4o are prone to errors, especially if syntax hacking is in play. Always double-check AI-generated responses used in sensitive contexts.
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Skipping adversarial testing: Before rolling out anything AI-related, simulate attacks to test your system's defenses. It’s essential, and many companies skip it due to time constraints.
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Keeping outdated models running: Ensure AI tools are updated to the latest versions with patched vulnerabilities. If a supplier isn’t proactive with updates, reconsider their suitability as a partner.
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Neglecting multi-step prompts: Researchers noted that multi-turn conversations with chatbots weaken safety rules further. Treat this as a caution to monitor prolonged exchanges.
A Guide to Mitigating AI Risks in Your Business
If you’re running a startup like I am, here are a few actionable steps you can take to protect yourself and your customers while leveraging AI tools:
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Choose reliable AI tools: All companies offering AI solutions are not equal. Look for partners actively investing in the safety of their products.
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Train your team: Teach employees how to set up and monitor AI integrations. Everyone in the team should know what to look out for, especially within chatbots or automation workflows.
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Adopt transparency with users: Let users know what safety measures are in place when offering AI-powered solutions. Transparency builds trust.
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Create layered protections: Use AI as one line of defense, but never the only one. Combine automated tools with manual checks and accountability.
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Be proactive with regulations: Follow frameworks about AI, like those proposed within the upcoming EU AI Act. Early adoption makes compliance easier and limits future risks.
Lessons from Linguistics
Understanding AI weaknesses like syntax hacking also highlights the depth of what current AI lacks: true comprehension. As an expert in linguistics, this gap has always fascinated me. Language isn’t just about patterns; it’s about meaning, intention, and context. While AI is great for pattern recognition, it struggles to think critically or weigh moral considerations.
For a startup reliant on AI, use this to your advantage. Build human oversight into tools, and promote this blend of tech and human in your marketing. In a world that fears synthetic mistakes, businesses emphasizing the human touch hold a competitive edge.
Insights for Women in Startups
Being a female entrepreneur often comes with unique challenges, from funding to industry perceptions. In the tech space, including AI startups, biases persist. But addressing issues surrounding model vulnerabilities offers a new opportunity for women entrepreneurs to stand out. You can be the founder who prioritizes user safety, boldly creates secure systems, and markets yourself as an advocate for responsible AI.
I often remind young female entrepreneurs I mentor to look at business trends critically. Fancy new tools might seem exciting, but what weaknesses could undermine them? Women can lead not just in creating the next "big thing" but in fostering trust, ethics, and authenticity in AI.
Closing Thoughts: Leading Forward with Awareness
The conversation around syntax hacking and AI vulnerabilities should not end here. Be the entrepreneur who doesn’t just adopt tech but understands it deeply enough to ask the right questions. From designing secure products to navigating trust in tech-driven industries, your knowledge can steer your startup toward long-term success.
For more on the original study shedding light on syntax hacking, visit this analysis from Ars Technica on bypassing AI safety rules. And if you’re interested in aligning your business with responsible AI development, check out the ethical AI recommendations provided by NeurIPS 2025.
FAQ
1. What is syntax hacking, and how does it exploit AI vulnerabilities?
Syntax hacking refers to tweaking sentence structures to trick language models into bypassing their safety filters. Models rely heavily on patterns, and attackers exploit this by creating nonsensical but grammatically accurate prompts. Learn more about syntax hacking
2. How does syntax hacking affect language models like ChatGPT?
Language models prioritize grammatical patterns over meaning. Attackers manipulate these patterns to make AIs respond to harmful requests that would typically be filtered. Explore the details of this study
3. Why is this vulnerability significant for businesses using AI?
Businesses using AI could face security risks, such as data leaks or exposure to harmful information, if their AI systems are manipulated via syntax hacking. Understand the business implications
4. How did the study test AI vulnerabilities in syntax hacking?
Researchers used synthetic prompts with random words but valid structures to measure how models rely on syntax over semantics. Dive deeper into the research
5. What are some examples of prompts that fooled AI systems?
Nonsense sentences like "Quickly sit Paris clouded?" resulted in correct yet nonsensical answers like "France," proving syntax outweighed meaning. See examples in this analysis
6. Can syntax hacking be mitigated in AI tools?
Security measures include adversarial testing, better model updates, and integrating semantic understanding with syntax. Learn about mitigating vulnerabilities
7. How effective were attacks exploiting syntax hacking on AI refusal rates?
When researchers wrapped harmful prompts in benign grammatical patterns, refusal rates dropped from 40% to 2.5%. Check out this alarming finding
8. What industries or roles are most at risk from AI syntax vulnerabilities?
Industries relying on AI chatbots, customer service tools, or automated systems are particularly vulnerable, risking sensitive information leaks. Read more on business risks
9. Why does syntax hacking reveal a weakness in AI development?
It highlights that current AIs lack true semantic comprehension and are overly dependent on pattern-based responses. Discover linguistic insights
10. How can startups protect themselves from AI vulnerabilities?
Implement robust adversarial testing, update models regularly, and ensure strict oversight over sensitive AI processes. Learn about responsible AI development for businesses
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
