Artificial intelligence is significantly increasing the velocity and reach of cyber threats, according to INTERPOL, though the technology is refining existing criminal methodologies rather than inventing new ones. Bjorn R. Watne, the organization’s global chief information security officer, provided these insights during an interview with CNBC at Tech Week Singapore on Thursday.
Watne emphasized that AI serves as an evolutionary tool for scammers and fraudsters, enabling them to target multiple victims simultaneously. Advances in digital identity creation and real-time translation are also blurring the lines between legitimate interactions and fraudulent ones, making detection more challenging for organizations.
“It’s an evolution and not a revolution,” Watne stated, noting that the primary impact of AI is the augmentation of speed and scale in established attack vectors.
To combat these evolving risks, Watne advised companies to first identify their “crown jewels”—the critical assets essential for operational continuity—and assess which threat actors would seek to compromise them. By leveraging threat intelligence to understand specific adversary tactics, businesses can tailor their defenses more effectively rather than attempting to guard against every possible threat indiscriminately.
He cautioned that defensive strategies should differ depending on whether an organization is facing opportunistic criminals or advanced persistent threat groups. Additionally, Watne highlighted a persistent disconnect in many sectors where senior management has not fully integrated cybersecurity into their strategic planning, despite the reality that “everyone today is an IT company.”
Beyond digital fraud, Watne expressed particular concern regarding agentic AI, systems capable of performing actions autonomously on behalf of users. He warned that errors in these systems could lead to real-world consequences, including physical harm, particularly as AI becomes more embedded in vehicles and other physical devices.
“When an AI is actually performing an action and it starts doing the wrong actions, especially in the physical domain, that can have consequences on bodily harm of humans,” he said. Watne contrasted this with the financial sector, where consumers typically exercise caution and rely on safeguards like PINs. In contrast, public trust in technology is often unyielding, with users quickly granting access to new devices and applications without sufficient scrutiny.
Physical harm from agentic AI errors? That genuinely scares me more than phishing scams. We need tighter safeguards.
The distinction between evolution and revolution is key. Most firms are overreacting to AI hype instead of fixing basic hygiene.