Phishing and Social Engineering in the Era of AI-Generated Content: How AI Is Changing Cyber Attacks

Have you ever received an email that seemed quite real, but you sensed something was off? I have received numerous ones, and now they have become even more realistic due to AI. It is important to address phishing and social engineering in the age of AI because scammers have smarter tools and the impersonation appears more legitimate than ever.

How AI Makes Phishing Worse​

AI allows attackers to send emails that look clean, natural, and professional. I wonder if you have ever felt like you could almost trust the email? The reason why is because AI can mimic how humans write. It has the ability to correct spelling, capture the right tone, and format a message to look real. So now even fake emails appear almost perfect.

AI Allows Scammers to Create a Record of People Interacting​

1. Very Real-Looking Messages

I have seen emails that are designed to look like they are from a coworker or a bank. AI can help scammers:

• Mimic someone's writing style.
• Generate fake bills or invoices.
• Composing custom messages that feel real.

On a busy day, most any employee can easily fall for one, I know on more than one occasion I have.

2. Fake Voices and Videos

This section is frankly scary. AI has the potential to generate:

• Fake phone calls.
• Fake voice messages.
• Fake videos.

Just think about if your boss "called you" asking you to send money. But it wasn't actually them.

3. More Intelligent Scams

AI learns and can change scams depending on what works—all we need to do is say one thing that doesn't make sense, and the AI will modify and get smarter and more sophisticated every time. Because of AI, scams will get more difficult to spot.

Why We Get Scammed​

The Human Element

We trust familiar names. When someone claims it’s urgent, we act. When something feels personal, we respond quickly. Fraudsters also leverage that human element and AI makes all this even more accessible from the fraudster perspective.

Safety Tips​

Here are a few of the simple habits I use:

• Always check the sending address.
• Slow down before your click.
• Always check other means if the request is large (call/text).
• Enable two-step verification anywhere it is offered.

Remember--thinking before clicking is your best protection, I now check everything as well.

AI Can Help Defend Us Too​

AI can also help keep us safe! Many tools:

• Scan your email
• Warn you of a link being bad
• Block odd and strange messages (attacks from websites!)

AI catches a lot of scams before the process even gets to us.