Artificial intelligence is no longer just a tool—it is a game-changer in our lives, our work, and in both cybersecurity and cybercrime. While businesses leverage AI to enhance defenses, cybercriminals are weaponizing AI to make their attacks more scalable and convincing.
In 2025, researchers forecast that AI agents, or autonomous AI-driven systems capable of performing complex tasks with minimal human input, are revolutionizing both cyberattacks and cybersecurity defenses. While AI-powered chatbots have been around for a while, AI agents go beyond simple assistants, functioning as self-learning digital operatives that plan, execute, and adapt in real-time. These advancements don’t just enhance cybercriminal tactics—they may fundamentally change the cybersecurity battlefield.
AI is transforming cybercrime, making attacks more scalable, efficient, and accessible. The WEF Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Report (2025) highlights how AI has democratized cyber threats, enabling attackers to automate social engineering, expand phishing campaigns, and develop AI-driven malware. Similarly, the Orange Cyberdefense Security Navigator 2025 warns of AI-powered cyber extortion, deepfake fraud, and adversarial AI techniques. And the 2025 State of Malware Report by Malwarebytes notes that while GenAI has enhanced cybercrime efficiency, it hasn’t yet introduced entirely new attack methods—attackers still rely on phishing, social engineering, and cyber extortion, now amplified by AI. However, this is set to change with the rise of AI agents—autonomous AI systems capable of planning, acting, and executing complex tasks—posing major implications for the future of cybercrime.
Cybercriminals are leveraging AI in various ways, including AI-generated phishing and social engineering, deepfake-enhanced fraud and impersonation, cognitive attacks, and the security risks associated with adopting large language models (LLMs). These AI-driven tactics pose new challenges for defenders and require proactive measures to mitigate risks.
AI-powered phishing and social engineering techniques use generative AI and large language models to craft more convincing scams that can evade traditional detection methods. Deepfake technology is being employed to impersonate individuals and manipulate victims into revealing sensitive information or transferring funds. Online manipulation through AI-driven cognitive attacks is also on the rise, influencing decision-making and behaviors subtly over time.
The adoption of LLMs in businesses introduces security risks, including potential exploitation by adversaries and the propagation of biased outcomes. Bias within LLMs can lead to discriminatory decision-making and security vulnerabilities, necessitating rigorous testing and assessment to prevent exploitation and ensure unbiased decision-making.
Concerns about rogue AI systems that act against the interests of their creators or users are growing as AI systems become more autonomous. Organizations must prioritize oversight, security measures, and ethical governance to mitigate the risks associated with rogue AI systems.
The future of cybercrime may be shaped by AI agents, which can automate entire cybercrime operations and make attacks more personalized and difficult to detect. Defenders can use AI and AI agents to enhance threat detection and response, prevent phishing and fraud, educate users on evolving threats, deploy adversarial AI countermeasures, and fight AI-driven misinformation and scams.
To stay ahead in the AI-powered digital arms race, organizations should monitor the threat landscape, train employees on AI-driven threats, deploy AI for proactive cyber defense, and continuously test their AI models against adversarial attacks. Strategic risk assessment and thoughtful deployment of AI-powered defenses are essential in securing the future of cybersecurity in this rapidly evolving landscape.