What is Artificial Intelligence?

When we think of Artificial Intelligence or AI, we may think of James Cameron’s “The Terminator” or Steven Spielberg's film "Al: Artificial Intelligence" which delves into the moral and emotional complexities surrounding the relationship between humans and artificial beings. Both films raised questions about consciousness, identity, ethical implications, and the risks associated with creating sentient or self-aware machines.

In contrast, real-world uses of Generative Al such as ChatGPT and Google Bard, now known as "Gemini", leverage machine learning techniques to produce music, generate images, assist in content creation, and even aid in scientific research and problem-solving by generating diverse possibilities and outputs based on learned patterns. However, as the films suggest, there are negatives associated with the use of this new, emerging technology.

Cybercriminals are now using AI apps to mimic family members voices to commit identity fraud. Known as AI voice cloning, fraudsters carrying out these scams will record a person’s voice or find an audio clip on social media or elsewhere on the internet. The audio sample is then run through an AI program that replicates the voice, allowing the scammer to make it say whatever they type in addition to adding laughter, fear, and other emotions into the cloned voice depending on how the scam is scripted. Voice cloning will not be limited to families as fraudsters will attempt to mimic the voices of business executives and professionals to bypass security measures such as dual control and voice verification systems.

As with all cyberthreats, there are steps that can be taken to protect your information and family.

• Education and awareness: Companies and individuals should be educated about the risks of voice cloning and other fraudulent tactics, and how to recognize and respond to them.
• Multi-factor authentication: Digital access to personal information should be protected with multi-factor authentication and other security measures to prevent unauthorized access.
• Family Secret Word – By establishing a unique code word or passphrase only known to family members, it creates a way to verify the authenticity of the speaker. This adds an extra layer of security to confirm the speaker’s identity beyond just using the voice.
• Social Media Posts – Being mindful of what you post on social media. Limit posting real-time personal information such as your current location or important dates. Cybercriminals can use personal information to craft convincing phishing attacks.

2024 will undoubtedly bring more advanced threats using AI. Our best defense is knowing these threats exist and staying informed. Visit our Client Security Center for more information about today and tomorrow’s threats, and how you can protect yourself, your business and family.