Researchers at Google Cloud believe the AI threat will worsen in 2025 despite not having had the catastrophic impact some analysts initially predicted.
In its Cybersecurity Forecasts 2025, the tech giant anticipates that successful malicious use of AI observed in 2024 will continue and new sophisticated uses will emerge.
Malicious actors will continue to use AI and large language models (LLMs) to develop and scale sophisticated social engineering schemes including phishing campaigns.
Google Cloud analysts also forecast that cyber espionage actors and cybercriminals will continue to leverage deepfakes for identity theft, fraud, and bypassing know-your-customer (KYC) security requirements.
During the report launch event in London, attended by Infosecurity on November 12, Stuart McKenzie, Managing Director of Mandiant Consulting EMEA at Google Cloud, said, “AI will play a massive part of overall cyber threats in 2025.”
From Malicious AI Prototypes to Large-Scale AI Adoption
In addition to the malicious use of AI already observed, the authors of the report believe that in 2025 some anticipated misuses of AI that have not materialized to date could do so.
Jamie Collier, Lead Threat Intelligence Advisor for Europe at Google Cloud, said using LLMs for malware development and malicious open source LLMs is still anecdotal, but will likely take off next year.
He also expects more AI experiments to supercharge malicious actors’ capabilities, including vulnerability research, code development and reconnaissance.
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