March 21, 2025 – Europol Sounds Alarm: AI Fueling Organized Crime and Escalating Security Threats
In a warning issued on Tuesday, Europol has highlighted the growing role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in empowering organized crime, leading to a significant intensification of security threats across Europe, according to the Associated Press.
The newly released “2025 EU Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment” report underscores that criminal activities such as cyberfraud and hacking pose a peril to society and the rule of law. The misuse of AI has led to a surge in child sexual abuse material online, making it more difficult for law enforcement to analyze images, track, and identify perpetrators.
The report reveals that criminals are leveraging highly realistic synthetic media to deceive victims, impersonate others, and even defame or extort targets. Advancements in AI technology, particularly in voice cloning and real-time deepfake videos, are exacerbating crimes such as fraud, extortion, and identity theft.
Maciej Duszyk, Deputy State Secretary at Poland’s Ministry of Interior and Administration, cited a recent cyberattack on a Polish hospital as an example of this emerging threat. The hospital was forced to halt operations for several hours due to an AI-enhanced cyberattack.
The report emphasizes that technologies like AI are acting as catalysts for crime, enabling criminal organizations to operate more efficiently and with increased speed, reach, and complexity.
