Google Gemini is being used to commit crimes

Let’s be real with ourselves here: regardless of the practical concerns that may be well-founded, artificial intelligence is extremely cool and interesting. Even if just for a moment, forgetting how AI is seemingly coming for people’s jobs or making society less dependent on our own initiative brings to light how dang futuristic it feels. Chatbots and LLMs like Google Gemini and ChatGPT are gateways to unique applications of AI, and seeing how they work internally makes us a bit giddy. Just as simply as we can use Gemini to solve complex math problems or brush up our grammar for sports statistical research or professional emails, these chatbots can be used for more nefarious applications. That’s exactly what is happening, and it brings new wrinkles to the pros and cons of AI usage in everyday lives.

The Google Threat Intelligence Group released an article on the Google Cloud Blog on January 29 discussing the misuse of Gemini’s generative AI capabilities. It’s a wide-encompassing article that covers tons of data points, including discussing who the general players are in criminal usage of Gemini and where they stem from (via Tech Radar). Google has recognized that government-backed criminal groups from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran have been using Gemini to conduct reconnaissance about “likely targets,” assist with coding and troubleshooting, and evade detection and escalate privileges. It’s a fascinating deep dive into very real concerns about who has access to technology that is, at its core, neutral in its morality.

A new age of AI

Criminals using technology to advance their goals will never cease, and it will continue in large ways as AI tools continue being adopted. Leaving us are the days of poorly-worded phishing emails. In its place comes AI scams that use things like voice cloning, deepfakes, fake product reviews and fake job postings to capture their victims. It’s important to become AI-literate by learning how to recognize AI-generated images, avoid online job scams, know if you’re talking to an AI chatbot, and simply be more cautious online.

While these issues continue being fought against, Google keeps churning out Gemini updates. Gemini 2.0 Flash is now rolling out for everyone, including free users, and it promises improved responses for writing, learning, and brainstorming tasks. There are a lot of ways that using AI can simplify parts of our daily lives without going overboard, and whether we like it or not, the train has already left the station. AI is a part of our lives and will continue to be injected everywhere, so learning how to work with it instead of against it will become critical.