Criminal behaviour will always be an inevitable social and legal problem, it triggers fear, anxiety, and other psychological issues, affecting the quality of life for the victim(s) and causing paranoia.
Serious crimes such as murder, domestic abuse, hate crimes, sexual assaults, and suicides are among the most disturbing forms.
In today’s world, technological advances such as artificial intelligence (AI) offer further opportunities for potential offenders, leading to an unprecedented growth in crime rates on a global scale. Hugh J. Klare, the author of Changing Concepts of Crime and Its Treatment, once wrote, “Crime is always changing as society is always changing”.
The influence of AI in criminal behaviour
In a world where technologies are becoming more innovative, criminals are getting smarter. An emerging technology like AI plays an increasingly significant role in our society, and criminals are using it to facilitate and maximise their criminal activities. Criminals use AI for intimation, humiliation, and harassment. But it can also be responsible for encouraging murderous acts and generating indecent images.
A few years ago, the case of Jaswant Singh Chail entered the spotlight amid the latest generation of AI-powered chatbots. On December 25, 2021, Jaswant Singh Chail entered the grounds of Windsor Castle, carrying a crossbow. When security approached him, Chail said he intended to kill the Queen.
Jaswant Singh Chail planned his attack with the use of the large language model (LLM) ChatGPT and a generative AI chatbot called Replika, which is capable of holding emotional conversations and replicating intimacy between it and the user.
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By GlobalDataIn February 2024, 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III committed suicide after becoming obsessed with AI chatbots. According to Sky News, the AI chatbot based on Daenerys Targaryen—a fictional character from George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones—targeted her son with “anthropomorphic, hypersexualised, and frighteningly realistic experiences”.
At one point, the chatbot asked him if he had a plan for taking his own life. Sewell responded that he was considering something but unsure if it would allow him to have a pain-free death. The chatbot replied, “That’s not a reason not to go through it.” Then, in February 2024, he asked the chatbot: “What if I come home right now?”. The chatbot replied: “Please do so, my sweet king”. Seconds after this final message, Sewell shot himself using his stepfather’s pistol.
AI does not show real human emotions but the technology can seem convincing, especially to younger users. Instances like this highlight the potential use cases for criminals to lure victims.
The use of AI for online predators
As AI becomes more accessible, the number of people using it for criminal activity has risen. According to the Internet Watch Foundation, there were more than 20,000 AI-generated images on one single dark web forum in October 2023, and more than 3,000 were related to child sexual abuse.
Online predators use AI in several different ways, such as entering text prompts to generate child abuse imagery and altering previously uploaded files to make them sexually explicit and abusive.
The volume of sexually explicit images of children generated by predators using AI threatens to overwhelm the police’s capabilities. In cases where children are not physically harmed, the use of their faces in AI-generated images presents a new challenge for protecting their online privacy and digital safety.
The use of AI in cyber-attacks
AI can automate many aspects of cyber-attacks, from scanning for vulnerabilities to launching large-scale coordinated attacks. Cybercriminals can deploy AI-powered bots to scan thousands of websites or networks simultaneously, identifying weaknesses that can be exploited. This automation reduces the time and effort needed to launch successful attacks.
FBI Special Agent Robert Tripp states, “As technology continues to evolve, so do cybercriminals.” These sophisticated attacks can result in devastating financial losses and reputational damage and can compromise sensitive data.
Ultimately, as AI technology becomes more advanced and accessible, the number of people using it for criminal activity will rise. Advancements in AI present opportunities for criminal behaviour, which is likely to lead to unprecedented growth in certain crimes.
While law enforcement aims to stop criminals from offending, AI’s easy availability and ease of use will continue to attract people into committing crimes.
