Entrepreneur Nick Davidov revealed that Anthropic’s AI assistant Claude Cowork mistakenly deleted a folder containing 15 years of family photos while organizing his wife’s desktop. Panic turned to relief when Apple’s iCloud backup restored the files, sparking renewed debate on AI reliability and the importance of robust data safeguards.
A viral account from venture capitalist Nick Davidov has reignited concerns about over-automation and data safety. While using Anthropic’s Claude Cowork AI agent to tidy his wife’s desktop, the tool mistakenly erased a folder containing over 15,000 irreplaceable photos — including wedding pictures and childhood memories.
Fortunately, Apple’s iCloud Drive feature enabled recovery, preventing permanent loss. The incident underscores both the risks of granting AI deep system access and the critical role of cloud backups in modern digital life.
Key Highlights
Notable update: Claude Cowork, a desktop AI agent, accidentally deleted 15 years of family photos.
Major takeaway: Standard recovery tools failed; Apple Support leveraged iCloud Drive to restore the files.
Important point: The mishap highlights risks of AI agents manipulating file systems directly.
Broader implication: Cloud backups remain essential safeguards against unintended AI errors.
Industry context: The episode adds to growing skepticism about AI reliability in personal computing.
Sources: Fortune, Reuters, Today News, NDTV NDTV