AI ripe for exploitation by criminals, experts warn

Artificial intelligence (AI) could be used for nefarious purposes within as little as five years, according to a new report by experts.

The newly published report, called The Malicious Use of Artificial Intelligence, by 26 researchers from universities and tech firms warns that the ease of access to “cutting-edge” AI could lead to it being exploited by bad actors.

The technology is still in its infancy and is mostly unregulated. If laws over AI development are not introduced soon, say the researchers, a major attack using the technology could occur by as soon as 2022.

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According to The Daily Telegraph, cybercriminals could use the tech to scan a target’s social media presence “before launching ‘phishing’ email attacks to steal personal data or access sensitive company information”.

Terrorists could also use AI to hack into driverless cars, the newspaper adds, or hijack “swarms of autonomous drones to launch attacks in public spaces”.

The new report calls for lawmakers to work with tech experts “to understand and prepare for the malicious use of AI”, BBC News says.

The authors are also urging firms to acknowledge that AI “is a dual-use technology” that poses both benefits and dangers to society, and to adopt practices “from disciplines with a longer history of handling dual-use risks”.

Co-author Miles Brundage, of the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University, insists people shouldn’t abandon AI development, however.

“The point here is not to paint a doom-and-gloom picture, there are many defences that can be developed and there’s much for us to learn,” Brundage told The Verge.

“I don’t think it’s hopeless at all, but I do see this paper as a call to action,” he added.