AI-fueled cybercrime could cost world $10.5 trillion by end-2025
AI has made cybercrime a lot easier and faster, letting attackers pull off scams that used to take serious skills.
Since 2022, tools like ChatGPT have sped up phishing, deepfakes, and malware—pushing global cybercrime losses toward $10.5 trillion by 2025.
AI's role in data breaches
AI now cranks out phishing emails 40% quicker, fueling a massive 703% jump in credential theft attacks in late 2024.
Shockingly, 78% of people opened these emails.
In 2025 alone, AI played a role in 16% of all data breaches—mainly through phishing (37%) and deepfake scams (35%).
Deepfake attacks and financial losses
Spear-phishing attacks are getting smarter with AI-powered voice and video deepfakes targeting companies.
The FBI logged over $16 billion lost to cybercrime in the US last year—a huge jump from before.
Still, most breached firms didn't have proper AI safeguards in place.
Businesses ramp up cybersecurity spending
To keep up, businesses plan to spend $240 billion on cybersecurity by 2026.
Many are snapping up AI-focused security startups and rolling out automated defenses—reshaping how we protect our data as the threat landscape keeps evolving with AI.