New report underlines malicious uses of artificial intelligence

Europol, the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute, and Trend Micro have published a report exploring current and predicted uses of artificial intelligence (AI). The report notes that criminals are likely to use AI to facilitate and improve their attacks by maximising opportunities for profit within a shorter time period, by exploiting more victims, and by using creative new criminal business models. For instance, AI could be used to support ransomware attacks, evasion of image recognition and voice biometrics, and document-scraping malware to make attacks more efficient. Particular attention is given to the malicious use of deepfakes as an attack vector. The report also includes several recommendations, outlining the need to harness the potential of AI technology as a crime-fighting tool and to promote and develop secure AI design frameworks.