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Imagine getting a video text message from your bank’s manager asking for your password.
You recognize her face. You hear her voice. She’s looking right at you.
But there’s one problem.
It’s not really your bank manager.
It’s a criminal using artificial intelligence to look like her and steal your money.
AI has given criminals the power to impersonate almost anyone.
They can clone voices, produce convincing videos, and create elaborate scams that are nearly impossible to distinguish from reality.
And now, autonomous AI agents can carry out thousands of actions without a human directing every move.
So what happens when criminals unleash these powerful machines on people and businesses
My guest is Dr. Charles M. Russo, a national security expert who has worked for the FBI and CIA.
Russo warns that artificial intelligence is creating a dangerous vulnerability.
We’re surrendering our ability to think critically and question what we see and hear.
And that makes us easier targets.
This is another edition of True Crime Reporter®. I’m Robert Riggs. These are stories ripped from my reporter’s notebook.
When you can no longer trust your own eyes and ears, how do you protect yourself from criminals who can manufacture reality?
That’s the question I put to Charles Russo.
What You Will Learn
- How AI-generated video, cloned voices and impersonation can make familiar people or workplace authorities appear to request money or sensitive information.
- Why Dr. Charles M. Russo recommends questioning unexpected audio, video and written claims, then verifying them through a known, separate contact channel.
- How Russo distinguishes his concern about AI-enabled fraud and misinformation from the broader issue of people surrendering critical thinking and metacognitive habits.
- What Russo says remains uncertain about autonomous AI agents, including the questions he raises about human oversight, cybersecurity safeguards and accountability.
