Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, recently released a report with the title ‘The Impact of Large Language Models on Law Enforcement’. According to the report, the large language model AI tool known as ChatGPT may be used by criminals for malicious activities. ChatGPT is a powerful artificial intelligence (AI) tool built on OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 technology, trained on the massive database of information available on the Internet. It is capable of providing detailed instructions on almost any topic and can be used to generate a vast amount of text in the same writing style, based on input.
Europol warns that ChatGPT could be used to commit fraud by creating masses of fake social media content for fraudulent investment offers. It could also be used to create phishing pages, as well as for general criminal activities, such as providing communication with a certain writing style that can’t be identified. OpenAI’s new version of transformer, GPT-4, would be particularly valuable for criminals, as it can understand code with better context, enabling creation of malicious tools without many technical skills.
Disinformation and propaganda is another worry, as ChatGPT can craft well-informed arguments in a matter of seconds. AI deep fakes are also on Europol’s radar, as these are being used to create pornographic photos of people, even if they have not taken or shared such images. Not to mention audio deep fake technology, which is also being used to scam people into believing something false.
Overall, Europol suggests that staying ahead of AI technology development is paramount to stop any potential exploitation by criminals. The company OpenAI is leading the development of AI technologies, notably ChatGPT, which is the fastest-growing app of all time. OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, is lauded for his work in the AI field and has received recognition from various forums. On the other hand, Europol is the European Union’s law enforcement agency, founded in 1998 and dedicated to preventing, investigating, and prosecuting international crimes. Its mission is to protect the European public from terrorist and criminal activities.