Government security experts fear cyber criminals could be only three months away from using artificial intelligence to steal money directly from bank accounts.
The warning has come from Cabinet Office officials who work closely with Britain’s AI Security Institute (AISI), the body responsible for testing advanced AI systems before they are released to the public.
Because AISI insiders have early access to some of the world’s most sophisticated technology, they have told the Mail on Sunday that Britain could face this “nightmare scenario” within three to five months.
One official said the prospect of an “AI Armageddon” may arrive sooner than expected because Chinese laboratories are developing models with fewer safety restrictions.
Unlike many Western systems, some Chinese AI tools allow developers to remove safeguards that limit what the technology can produce or help users do.
Those safeguards can block certain words and patterns or issue a standard refusal when someone attempts to use AI to build a bomb or carry out another crime.
China is now deploying increasingly advanced models whose safety features can be disabled with relative ease. That could leave small businesses and members of the public exposed to fraudsters much sooner than anticipated.
The official told the MoS: “Every Russian and Nigerian hacker will soon get their hands on technology capable of breaking even the most advanced passwords, stealing personal financial information, deleting company data and committing fraud.”
Government security experts fear cyber criminals could be just three months away from using AI to steal money from bank accounts at will (stock image)
The Financial Stability Institute warned this week that banks are increasingly struggling to respond effectively to sophisticated cyber technology.
It urged financial institutions to strengthen their defences to prevent large-scale hacks and safeguard customers’ money.
In a paper published last Wednesday, the institute said some technology had become so advanced that banks might have only hours to stop a hacker from gaining access.
Ministers are worried by the rate at which the technology is improving, and expect a deluge of sophisticated attacks.
The MoS understands Ministers are exploring whether more ‘targeted interventions’ will be needed to address national security risks. In a sign of their concern, they claim this would be ‘proportionate’ without hitting growth and innovation.
Tensions about AI soared this week after leading American AI firm, Anthropic, barred Britain’s safety institute from testing its latest model.
One AI expert said this step shows America now treats AI as ‘state secrets and dangerous weapons’.
This weekend, Anthropic said it had thwarted five attempts this year by people using the model to try to make bioweapons.
In a report, the firm said its ‘Claude’ model can help make scientific breakthroughs. But it warned the same biological research capability could also be used to create dangerous superbugs capable of killing millions.
It comes as a global debate about AI was triggered by one of the company’s researchers quitting the firm over an ‘out of control’ AI arms race
He issued a stark warning that the big companies are not acting responsibly, and said there is ‘more than a 10 per cent’ chance of the technology killing ‘all humans’ within the next decade.
It has intensified calls to take AI safety more seriously.
AI safety campaigner Connor Axiotes said: ‘America now doesn’t want us to gain any advantages from their tech – this is bonkers. They obviously don’t trust their closest ally.
‘AI risks have so far not been taken seriously by government. But we are at a turning point. The public want action.
‘I call on any elected official or civil servant to express clearly and publicly their fears about imminent risks from AI. Do not be remembered as the person who failed to act.’
Tory MP Joe Robertson said: ‘AI provides incredible opportunities, but it also presents new threats to our national and economic security. But with Andy Burnham scrapping the AI department, you wouldn’t know it. The new PM should spend less time playing his guitar and more time taking AI seriously.’
A Government spokesperson said: ‘AI is making some cyber capabilities more accessible, but businesses are not defenceless. All firms should be acting urgently to improve their cyber defences, and we have set out the practical steps businesses should take, including adopting Cyber Essentials, following National Cyber Security Centre guidance and managing cyber security at board level.’
