How AI and Deepfakes Fuel Cybercrime: Key Insights from Dan Sodergren’s Talk

5 min readSep 24, 2024

It was a great honour to be asked to be the keynote for the first Stone Cyber Security Summit 2024 at their HQ in Stone. But why talk about cyber security as a keynotespeaker in AI and the future of work. Well the fact is that cyber security is going to become increasingly important in our work no matter whether we are working in AI or not.

So as I stood before the packed room, the energy was palpable. Both on and offline as the event was a clever hybrid event. Hosted by Stone, A Converge Company, this event couldn’t have come at a more critical time. Cyber security is no longer just an IT department’s problem — it’s a business imperative.

Why should Cyber-security be a talking point:

More attacks than ever are hitting schools & MATS, a sector we work in with our AI non for profit AI Teacher Course.
Over 80% of universities & colleges have been hit by cyber attacks over the past year. (Interestingly just a day after this event a large attack happened on an academy)
1.5 million businesses were hit by cyber crime in the last 12 months alone.
Public sector cyber attacks rose by 40% over the last year.

I kicked off my keynote with an urgent message: AI is here to stay, and it’s both our greatest asset and our biggest threat. From MidJourney to Microsoft Defender, AI tools have made leaps forward, but they’re a double-edged sword.

AI can increase productivity by 400% in some jobs like in marketing, (which is why I launched the AI Marketing Course) but it can also empower cyber criminals at the same rate. Hackers now use AI to attack with speed and precision, making it imperative for every organisation to prepare.

What to think about…

During the keynote talk to start people thinking for the day, I talked about ransomware, deep fakes, and phishing 2.0, each posing a unique challenge for today’s organisations.

Ransomware attacks alone have surged by 73%, with smaller companies increasingly at risk. In fact, ransomware doesn’t just hit the big players like the City of Dallas or Royal Mail — small businesses are the new target. And these aren’t old-school hackers. They’re using deepfake technology, capable of cloning voices and images for pennies, turning fraud into a massive, scalable industry. Remember, AI makes EVERYONE more productive…

The public sector MUST change.

One of the most jaw-dropping stats I shared during the event was that 27% of public sector organisations are using AI to combat these threats — but shouldn’t that number be closer to 97%? The urgency is clear: organisations must ramp up their defences. Too many are lagging behind when it comes to employee training, which I stressed as a critical layer of protection.

While 41% of organisations think training should be refreshed monthly due to rapidly evolving threats, only 29% actually do so. In a world where AI-generated deep fakes are proliferating 10 times faster, monthly training feels woefully inadequate.

The same can be said for AI politics.

We also touched on AI policies — or rather, the lack thereof in many businesses. As I pointed out, if your company doesn’t have a policy in place for AI, write one. Now. AI can be a shield, not just a sword, but only if it’s properly managed. With tools like chatbots and automated systems growing in power, social engineering attacks will become smarter and faster. AI might be the very thing defending us, but it also makes for a terrifying weapon in the wrong hands.

But the day wasn’t all gloom and doom. Yes, AI will continue to evolve. Yes, cyber criminals will become smarter. But so will we. At its heart, cyber-security isn’t just about technology — it’s about people. The question we should be asking isn’t, “What will AI do next?” but rather, “What are we doing to stay ahead of it?”

Perhaps one of the most engaging moments of the summit was the “speed dating” session with leading software security vendors. And not just the ones I had mentioned in my talk (hat tip to Nellcote here) As attendees got a chance to discuss their individual business needs and vulnerabilities with experts, gaining personalised insights on the latest security tools. Which nicely ties into their new publication as well The Collection 2024. Where you can get more insights into things like Cybersecurity. As well as find out more about the AI Teacher Course — a non for profit we are running for teachers to learn more about AI.

Isn’t It Time to Act

As we wrapped up the day, I left the audience with one final thought: do not wait for a superhero to save your organisation. Instead, be proactive — implement training, draft policies, invest in your employees, and seek out those experts who can help you build stronger defences.

Cyber security is not a battle fought in the future. It’s happening right now. The sword is in your hand, but the shield is too. Use both wisely. Remember, it’s not a matter of if your organisation will be targeted — it’s when. And when it happens, the steps you take today could be the difference between resilience and ruin.

Let’s not just protect ourselves from the threats of tomorrow, but lead the way in shaping a secure, innovative, and sustainable future. Stay safe, stay informed, and let’s continue this conversation because the future is now.