There’s no denying artificial intelligence is here to stay.
If you’ve ever gotten personalized show recommendations from a streaming service like Netflix or Spotify or used GPS apps like Google Maps or Waze to provide directions and real-time traffic updates, you’ve benefited from AI.
Have you had a doctor’s appointment without leaving your home? There’s AI present there too. Telehealth services use AI to help facilitate video appointments and also to triage symptoms or interpret data for medical staff.
AI is also at work in devices like Fitbit or other wearables that tell you how well you slept the night before or track your heart rate. Apps like Medisafe use it to remind people to take their medications, and hearing aids tap the technology by helping to block out background noise and adapt usage to different sound environments.
Given all these benefits, it’s no surprise usage is increasing.
AI has been in development for decades, since the 1950s. By the start of the 21st century, the pace of development had picked up and more recently, within the past four to five years, it has exploded.
That means that new AI uses are being created constantly, including new wys of helping to prevent fraud and scams.
Sadly, however, AI improvements have also led to new tools that can be used by scammers to up their game and swindle others more easily.
Across the country, consumers are expressing concern about the use of AI and access to the power it represents, according to the Federal Trade Commission whose job it is to protect consumers and prevent fraud.
Just last month, in a blog post titled ‘AI and the Risk of Consumer Harm,’ the FTC wrote that it “is increasingly taking note of AI’s potential for real-world instances of harm—from incentivizing commercial surveillance to enabling fraud and impersonation to perpetuating illegal discrimination.”
AI is not exempt from laws on the books, the FTC said, noting that those using AI systems “have an obligation to abide by existing laws, including the competition and consumer protection statutes that the FTC enforces.”
In particular, the FTC notes that AI requires a massive amount of data for the training processes used to improve its language models and said it has provided guidance to businesses to protect privacy of consumers and sued or issued complaints if they “failed to abide by their legal obligations.”
The oversight is important but people also need to know how to protect themselves from scams using AI.
“It used to be so easy to identify scams because the grammar was horrible. It had the wrong tense or the wrong word….,” said Dale Senechal of Senior U, an organization that offers technology classes to older adults. “Now they’re grammatically correct, using more recent logos from a company and grabbing an actual footer that might be on the real (webpage).”
That’s because AI has become more sophisticated, Senechal noted, which makes it harder to determine what is real and what is fraud. New technology can create images to mimic real communications from your bank, or capture and use the voice of a trusted relative to call and ask for financial support.
“If you think it’s a scam, treat it as if it is,” Senechal advises. And then verify the information by calling the person at a number you know is correct or checking a favorited url for your bank or other organization.
Another example, Senechal said, is letting any phone call go to voicemail if you don’t recognize the number or caller ID. “If they can’t leave me a voice mail, it’s not worth my time,” he said about his own decision to do this.
Whatever choice others make, he stresses never to use the link or number provided by the potential scammer.
Even with new sophisticated AI-driven attacks, taking a breath and using common sense can help everyone avoid being scammed.
“(Scams) are designed to make you panic and panic and commonsense don’t go hand-in-hand,” he said. “They’re opposite.”
For example, a text message that says thank you for renewing your geek squad membership for some enormous sum and then gives you a link to use is meant to get you to click that link in a panic to contest a payment that you never approved.
As in the prior example, Senechal said, you need to go to sources you know first. In this case that means checking your bank account from your own saved information first.
“Don’t assume that it’s real. Assume that it’s probably not,” he said.
As extra precaution he also recommends that all of your subscription renewal dates are marked on a calendar so you have easy access to that information when faced with a fake renewal message.
Despite the risks, Senechal is a strong believer in the power of AI to help older adults.
In SeniorU classes, he helps people tap this power, explaining how it can be used to help people know what questions to ask their doctor when they receive a new diagnosis. It can also help someone plan a talk to give to their garden club or plan a trip to a new location.
“Don’t be afraid to explore with it,” he said.
Check out SeniorU classes on artificial intelligence on their website at www.senioru.com.
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