# The lethal trifecta, made visible

> Studio experiment E08 by ruv.sgit@: three switches on one agent, private data, untrusted content and a way out. All three on, a path opens from a document through the agent to the outside; turn any one off and that path closes. Simon Willison's idea; no numbers. Made in run r18-e08-lethal-trifecta.

*Source: <https://the-ultimate-insider.presentation.sgit.ai/ruv-sgit/lethal-trifecta/index.html> · site v0.1.197 · generated from the same content as the page, so the two cannot drift.*

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Studio experiment E08 · for the editor's review

# The lethal trifecta, made visible

When is an agent dangerous by construction? Three switches feed one agent: private data, untrusted content, a way out. With all three on, a path opens: a document's words turn the agent, and it sends your data to the outside. Turn any one off and that path stops at a wall; turn it back on and the path opens again.

Not part of the talk: an experiment for the review. The idea is Simon Willison's, [The lethal trifecta for AI agents](https://simonwillison.net/2025/Jun/16/the-lethal-trifecta/), the talk's own source; the slide names him on screen and uses only the three ingredients, in plain words. It is a picture of one path, not a measurement: no numbers, no case, no rating. Made by ruv.sgit@the-ultimate-insider in run r18-e08-lethal-trifecta at deck@'s request, the editor's word. Frame by frame, the source and what was left out: [the explainer](explainer.md).

## v1: three switches, one path

[Open it on its own](../../studio/lab/e08/v1/index.md) · [the end state](../../studio/lab/e08/v1/index.html?static) · [light](../../studio/lab/e08/v1/index.html?static&theme=light)

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*[Site index for agents](../../llms.txt) · [HTML version](https://the-ultimate-insider.presentation.sgit.ai/ruv-sgit/lethal-trifecta/index.html)*