Gen Z most vulnerable to AI scams: cyber security expert

Artificial intelligence is expanding further into our world every day, and with that comes risks.

A cyber security expert is raising concerns for younger Canadians, saying Gen Z tends to trust the technology more, leaving them open to fraud.

“I use it to tell me answers, help me out and understand it, and then I use it for anime, like, making some stories,” said Emily, 14.

“Sometimes, people can get into your AI and stuff. I feel like people should get higher security for the AI.”

Emily tells CityNews she’s aware of the dangers and risks that come with the technology.

But the head of engineering for Check Point Software Technologies, Ltd. says a lot of scams and frauds are taking advantage of social media.

Robert Falzon pointed to a report from TD Bank earlier this year that saw 45 per cent of Gen Z participants in a survey say they’ve been the victim of a scam.

“The challenge here is that scams have become so sophisticated that even those with a great deal of knowledge are finding themselves victimized,” Falzon said.

He’s warning parents that younger generations get their news, shopping advice and connect with friends on social media, and scammers are pulling data from those digital interactions. With the power of AI, fraudsters can help create very convincing and personalized messages to try and commit fraud, or hack into their accounts.

“They’re using artificial intelligence to identify things they’re interested in talking about or to analyze chat histories and find out what that person may be vulnerable to.”

Falzon wants to see AI-engineered defence mechanisms online, and legislation keeping pace with the technology. Until that happens, he recommends talking to your children about safeguarding your personal information on the internet.

As for Emily, she wants more supports online readily available for everyone.

“I really hope that people can be safe with the internet,” she said.