Spiceworks Community Digest: The dangers of AI imagery

AI has rapidly moved into our daily lives, and nowhere is this more apparent than in AI-generated images. These images are now everywhere, flooding our social media feeds and online spaces. This technology has unlocked incredible creative potential, allowing people to bring their visions to life, it has been the center of controversy in the world of IT.

As AI-generated images get more sophisticated, they also become a potent weapon for malicious actors. The ability to manipulate a photo of your CEO or a colleague and use it for criminal activity, like in a phishing attempt or a social engineering scheme, is now more real than ever. The ease of use and accessibility of these tools means that anyone, regardless of technical skill, can create fake images that are highly convincing to lure unsuspecting victims into providing information.

This new reality was the subject of a recent Spiceworks community post: Are AI image tools exciting, or scary?

The Security Threat is Real

Most of the community expressed a concern around AI-generated images and their role in potential social engineering and phishing attacks. They agreed that user education, while critical, might not be enough to stop these new forms of deception.

• aJason: “Users fall for simple phishing emails. I think it would be easy for AI generated images and videos to fool a lot of users… The potential for misuse IMHO is extremely high due to the ease of use and accessibility.”
• Jonathan Johnson: “At a glance? Yes, AI-generated images could fool people. But on closer scrutiny, AI is still detectable. Here’s the thing*, though: people take things at first glance. Critical thinking isn’t most people’s strong suit, at least not until to prompt them to think critically about the thing they are looking at right now.”

A Double-Edged Sword

For many, the debate over AI comes down to a fundamental question of intent. Any tool can be used for good or bad, it depends on the user.

• Bob_13: “If you use it to cut strips of bacon to cook… good. If you use it to stab people in the face, bad.”
• J-Nonya: “As with everything, it’s just another tool in the tool box…good or bad depends on how it is used and by whom.”

Ultimately, the community’s discussion revealed that AI is an ethical challenge rather than a technical one. What’s your take on AI-generated images? Are you more excited by the possibilities or concerned about the risks? Head over to the community to join the discussion.