AI fraud is around the corner, how can we prevent it?

Any technology is a double-edged sword. What harm might artificial intelligence (AI) bring to us?

Currently, scientists, entrepreneurs, the media, and other people around us have been discussing the long-term dangers of AI, such as the possibility of workers losing their jobs, surpassing or replacing human thinking, and even causing humans to lose control of civilization.

However, the harm that AI brings to us is very real. Moreover, for most people, they only know that they are also victims after experiencing it themselves.

Recently, the news that "a company boss was defrauded of 4.3 million yuan in 10 minutes by using AI face-changing scam" has been trending on major news websites. According to the victim, the scammer successfully pretended to be his friend through AI face-changing and voice-sounding technology, and then defrauded him. "At that time, he called me via video, and I confirmed the face and voice in the video, so I let my guard down."

Although this incident has made people more aware of the "AI face-changing" scam, in fact, there are far more examples of "AI face-changing". Popular celebrities selling goods in live broadcasts, faces in some indecent videos, etc. may all be scams created by criminals using AI technology.

In addition, criminals will also use AI technology to extract voice files after stealing other people’s WeChat accounts, and commit fraud by forwarding WeChat voice messages.

The question is, while we enjoy the convenience brought by AI technology, how should we deal with new types of fraud such as “AI face-changing”?

In December last year, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Public Security jointly issued the "Regulations on the Management of Deep Synthesis of Internet Information Services", which stated that deep synthesis service providers should add a mark that does not affect the use of information content generated or edited using their services. Services that generate or significantly change information content functions such as intelligent dialogue, synthetic voice, face generation, and immersive simulation scenes should be marked prominently to avoid public confusion or misunderstanding.

Earlier this month, a short video platform also released the "Platform Specifications and Industry Initiatives on AI-Generated Content", which clearly prohibits the use of generative AI technology to create and publish infringing content , including but not limited to portrait rights, intellectual property rights, etc. Once discovered, the platform will impose strict penalties.

The face-changing live broadcast mentioned above may infringe the portrait rights of relevant celebrities and artists. If it involves commercial activities such as live broadcasting, it will become an aggravating circumstance. It is worth noting that even if it is just entertainment and does not involve profit-making activities, face-changing live broadcast is also an infringement as long as the portrait rights holder has not agreed.

So, on a personal level, how can we be wary of new scams such as “AI face-changing”?

On May 24, the Internet Society of China issued a warning: "In the face of new scams using AI technology, the general public needs to be vigilant and take precautions!" Specifically, we should be the first person responsible for the security of personal information , and be sure to perform multiple verifications when transferring money remotely to keep a close eye on our "wallets."

As for the industry, Xiong Zhi, a special commentator for The Paper, believes that regulations must be established as soon as possible to clarify the red lines for information protection and strengthen the normative guidance on the behavior of technology service providers. Only when AI face-changing, AI voice-over, etc. are based on evidence and strictly authorized at every link , and the difficulty of fraud is increased, can we better protect everyone's information and property security.

Finally, if you feel that you are suffering from or have suffered from AI face-changing, AI voice-spoofing and other scams, you must learn to use "laws" to defeat "AI magic" . Of course, the best way to deal with it is to choose not to believe it.