Rise of AI Chatbots Creates New Challenges for Cybersecurity

As more businesses around the world are adopting AI-powered chatbots, there is growing concern among cybersecurity experts that these advanced technologies may be posing a new threat to online security. In particular, the use of sophisticated language models like ChatGPT and Google’s new chatbot product Bard is making it harder to detect phishing emails, which have become a common weapon of cybercriminals.

The Problem with Phishing Emails

Phishing emails are designed to trick recipients into downloading malicious software or handing over sensitive information. These emails often contain spelling and grammatical errors that can signal their suspicious nature. However, AI chatbots are now removing these errors from phishing emails, making them more difficult to detect.

Last year, in England and Wales alone, 50% of adults reported receiving at least one phishing email. UK businesses have also identified phishing attempts as the most common form of cyber-threat. With the increasing use of AI-powered chatbots for crafting malicious communications, the threat posed by phishing emails is growing steadily.

The Dark Side of Language Models

Recently, Europol issued an international advisory on the criminal use of large language models like ChatGPT for phishing attacks. Language models like ChatGPT are being used to create more sophisticated and believable spear-phishing emails that target specific individuals or companies.

The rise of AI-powered chatbots has also created potential problems beyond phishing, including fraud, social engineering, disinformation, and cybercrime. While Google has launched its own product called Bard, with a policy prohibiting the use of AI models for deceptive or fraudulent activities, OpenAI – creator of ChatGPT – has not commented on the use of its product for criminal activities.

Google and Microsoft’s AI Rivalry

Google and Microsoft are now competing head-to-head in the race to develop the next generation of conversational computing. Google has launched Bard, while Microsoft has teamed up with OpenAI to create the disruptive AI chatbot for its Bing search engine.

Google has been investing heavily in AI for years, acquiring the preeminent AI research institution DeepMind back in 2014. Its new chatbot product Bard has the potential to revolutionize how we interact with computers and machinery, offering better customer service and expanded accessibility to businesses of all kinds.

Microsoft hopes that its partnership with OpenAI and the new tool on Bing could convince users to switch search engine providers and make a dent in Google’s dominance. However, it remains to be seen whether Microsoft can successfully challenge Google’s established user base built up over years with innovative AI tools that enhance its search capabilities and free products that increase switching costs like Google Chrome, Android, and Google Maps.

Conclusion

As AI-powered chatbots become more advanced, the potential for cybercriminals to exploit their capabilities is growing. There is a pressing need for cybersecurity experts and tech companies to work together to prevent these technologies from being used for malicious purposes.

The rise of AI-powered chatbots is also creating a new era of rivalry between tech giants like Google and Microsoft as they seek to develop cutting-edge technologies using natural language processing. In spite of their intense competition, one thing remains clear – both companies are continuing to invest heavily in AI as it reshapes our world.

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