Generative AI, cybercrime, and scamability, with Stacey Edmonds

London Futurists

One of the short-term concerns raised by artificial intelligence is cybercrime. Cybercrime didn’t start with AI, of course, but it is already being aggravated by AI, and will become more so.
We are delighted to have as our guest in this episode somebody who knows more about this than most people. After senior roles in audit and consulting firm Deloitte, and the headhunting firm Korn Ferry, Stacey Edmonds set up Lively, which helps client companies to foster the culture they want, and to inculcate the skills, attitudes, and behaviours that will enable them to succeed, and to be safe online.
Stacey’s experience and expertise also encompasses social science, youth work, education, Edtech, and the creative realm of video production. She is a juror at the New York Film Festival and the International Business Awards.
In this discussion, Stacey explains how cybercrime is on the increase, fuelled not least by Generative AI. She discusses how people can reduce their 'scam-ability' and live safely in the digital world, and how organisations can foster and maintain trusted digital relationships with their customers.
Selected follow-ups:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceyedmonds/
https://futurecrimesbook.com/ (book by Marc Goodman)
https://cybersecurityventures.com/cybercrime-to-cost-the-world-8-trillion-annually-in-2023/
https://www.vox.com/technology/2023/9/15/23875113/mgm-hack-casino-vishing-cybersecurity-ransomware
https://www.trustcafe.io/
Topics addressed in this episode include:
*) Excitement and apprehension following the recent releases of generative AI platforms
*) The cyberattack on the MGM casino chain
*) Estimates of the amount of money stolen by cybercrime
*) The human trauma of victims of cybercrime
*) Four factors pushing cybercrime figures higher
*) Hacking "the human algorithm"
*) Phishing attacks with and without spelling mistakes
*) The ease of cloning voices
*) The digital wild west, where the sheriff has gone on holiday
*) People who are particularly vulnerable to digital scams
*) The human trafficking of men with IT skills
*) Economic drivers for both cybercrime and solutions to cybercrime
*) Comparing the threat from spam and the threat from deep fakes
*) Anticipating a surge of deep fakes during the 2024 election cycle
*) A possible resurgence of mainstream media
*) Positive examples: BBC Verify, Trust Café (by Jimmy Wales), the Reddit model of upvoting and downvoting, community notes on Twitter
*) Strengthening "netizen" skills in critical thinking
*) The forthcoming app (due to launch in November) "Dodgy or Not" - designed to help people build their "scam ability"
*) Cyber meets Tinder meets Duolingo meets Angry Birds
*) Scenarios for cybercrime 3-5 years in the future
*) Will a future UGI (Universal Generous Income) reduce the prevalence of cybercrime?
Music: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain Declaration