It’s been an interesting few years, with AI going beyond simply computers being used for machine learning to speeding up everything to mere prompt. You can ask an AI to concoct copy, to imagine imagery, to materialise music, to visualise video, and to construct code, all of which seemingly comes out of nothing.
AI is everywhere and can be seemingly used for anything, and more than ever, Australian are conscious of the technology. That should come as little surprise, given the technology is practically everywhere.
You can find AI in phones, in computers, in cars, in ovens. It’s even in the occasional toothbrush, and could appear in toys shortly, too. AI is being thrust upon the world, and there’s seemingly little you can do to escape.
But a new report paints that while Australians are conscious about AI, they may not be cautious about its uses, or more specifically, the ways it can be used to manipulate, especially as scams using AI increase.
A report from security provider Avast shows that younger generations, particularly that of Gen Z, are the most confident they could work out whether something was made or manipulated by AI, with 82 percent of respondents saying that’s the case versus older generations, specifically 53 percent in Boomers.
Whether or not they could wasn’t the question; this is more about whether they think they could.
Their use of AI is also growing, with the report suggesting across the generational divide, 22 percent of Australians had or would consider using AI for a CV, 19 percent for a work document, and between 10 and 11 percent for contracts, legal documents, and identification forms and documents.
AI is everywhere, and we seem to think we’re on top of it.
But while it may be used for work and life, scammers are also using it, as well, with a reports showing a 32 percent increase in scam activity and AI used for some of this.
“The technology behind scams is changing quickly, but the way scammers persuade people is often very familiar,” said Stephen Kho, Cyber Security Expert for Avast.
“AI can make a fake offer, message or endorsement look more convincing, but it is often the promise of a great deal, the familiar brand or the pressure to act that gets someone to take the next step,” he said.
“Instead of only asking whether something looks real, look at what it is asking you to do. If it wants information, money or immediate action, stop and check it another way.”
That’s important because AI’s use in scams is painting a complex picture to how we respond to what’s real and what isn’t. Scammers are particularly good at manipulation, with their whole industry worth billions solely on manipulation and trickery to steal, with that theft changing with technology.
While the Australian government’s SMS Sender ID rules may have prevented one approach from being used, scammers still have email, phone calls, and the web to work with, and that may be enough. They still have phishing and fake emails, and that can account for a lot of scams, even from places that look like real businesses.
Blind spots in how and what we detect — and more importantly, how we discern — play a part, with only 44 percent of Australians noting that an offer that feels too good to be true is a warning sign, while 41 percent say it comes from a request of personal information, and 40 percent from the urgency and pressure to act quickly.
That leaves roughly 60 percent of Australians who may not have these as red flags, and may in turn unwittingly act on the moves of scammers and criminals.
Some of these can be more obvious than others.
Pressure is clearly one of the key approaches of scammers, particularly because it stops you from thinking whether what’s being said could be real.
But if you find yourself on the end of a call or email prompting you for urgent action, stop and think about it. And then hang up or close the email, and search for the real company claiming to call you, and ask.
Don’t simply trust that the person contacting you is from the company they claim to.
“Confidence can sometimes lower our guard,” said Kho.
“We might back ourselves to recognise AI-generated content, then upload a document without thinking about the personal, professional or financial information it contains. Or we might know that urgency is a scam warning sign, but still dismiss it when the request appears to come from someone or somewhere familiar,” he said.
“If you wouldn’t tell a stranger, don’t give it to a bot.”
