High-tech AI fraud cases increase 50% annually, experts: Don’t believe anything on the screen

Recently, AI fraud cases have occurred frequently in China. Someone encountered an AI-powered face-changing friend who asked him to borrow money and was defrauded of 4.3 million yuan in 10 minutes, which became a hot topic on major searches.

In fact, with the popularization of AI technology, similar fraud cases are not only occurring in China.

Recently, a mother in the United States received a strange phone call, claiming that her daughter was kidnapped and demanding a ransom. The mother was almost deceived because the voice on the phone was exactly the same as her daughter. It turned out that this was a fraud case using AI technology to synthesize voice. According to experts, in the past year, AI fraud cases in the United States have increased by more than 50% year-on-year.

The development of AI technology has given criminals powerful tools. With a few dollars of paid software and a few seconds of voice, a realistic human voice can be synthesized. In addition to the elderly who are easily deceived, even some business elites have not been able to escape.

So, how can we guard against this new type of AI high-tech fraud?

Professor Peter Bentley, a computer scientist and artificial intelligence expert at University College London, said in an interview recently that there is no 100% way to identify the difference between AI generation and reality. So the best advice is: Be skeptical and carefully check anyone who asks you for money or personal information, even if "TA" looks like a trustworthy friend or family member. Be sure to call them back, preferably by video, or even better, meet them in person to see if the request is real.

The threat of AI fraud cannot be ignored. With the advancement of AI technology, not only voice, but even images and videos can be forged. Professor Bentley warned: "We can no longer assume that everything we see or hear on the screen is real."

AI technology is a double-edged sword, with both advantages and disadvantages. While it brings the potential for a productivity revolution, it also brings new risks and challenges to society. How to effectively regulate and prevent AI fraud requires the joint efforts of the government, enterprises, the public and experts. Only in this way can AI technology better benefit mankind.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.