Image: OLIVIER DOULIERY (AFP)
A report by the European police agency based in The Hague shows that criminals could use this type of AI system. In the future, chatbots’ rapidly evolving skills will not only be used to improve mankind – but also to deceive them.
Europol’s new innovation lab has examined the use of chatbots in general, but has focused on ChatGPT as it is the most well-known and used chatbot. ChatGPT creates texts with the help of artificial intelligence. Users can specify individual commands or sentences, which the system then supplements independently with the help of vast amounts of data from the Internet. After the chatbot appeared, users were quickly amazed by its ability to answer difficult questions, write or program sonnets, and even pass exams.
What makes ChatGPT dangerous
Criminals could use ChatGPT to “significantly speed up the research process in areas beyond their knowledge,” the agency said. The chatbot can provide information, for example, “from how to break into a house, to terrorism, cybercrime and sexual abuse of children,” it said.
The chatbot can imitate certain language styles, so that it can be used particularly effectively for so-called phishing, Europol found. Phishing involves tricking users into clicking fake links in emails, which are then used to steal their data.
“Ideal for propaganda purposes”
ChatGPT’s ability to quickly compose genuine-looking texts also makes it “ideal for propaganda and disinformation purposes.” ChatGPT can also be used for programming, the authority explained. This is particularly useful for criminals with little or no knowledge in this area.
ChatGPT has security measures in place and does not answer questions that have been classified as harmful or biased, Europol said. However, this can be circumvented by clever input requests.
AI is still in its infancy and improvement in its capabilities is “expected,” the agency added. “It is of the utmost importance that awareness of this issue is raised to ensure that any potential loopholes are discovered and closed as quickly as possible.”
Source: Nachrichten
