The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly common in many different industries and fields, from healthcare to finance to transportation. While the potential benefits of AI are vast and numerous, it's important to also consider the potential drawbacks and negative uses of this technology. One area where AI is increasingly being utilized is in the realm of cybercrime. One way that AI is used in cybercrime is through the development of sophisticated malware. This type of software is designed to infect a computer or network without the user's knowledge and can cause significant damage or disruption.

Three decades after a US university student called Robert Tappan Morris was convicted of launching the first widely known malware attack on the internet, cybercrime has become big business, costing the global economy an estimated £2.1m a minute. Internet service provider Beaming reports that cybercriminals are launching increasingly sophisticated attacks on an "unprecedented scale". The pandemic has exacerbated the situation because it has prompted a sharp rise in remote working, which has enabled them to target vulnerabilities in domestic internet connections to attack corporate systems. In 2020, the average UK business faced 686,961 attempts to breach its systems – 20% up on the previous year's figure – according to Beaming. That equates to an attack every 46 seconds.

The level of cyberthreats enterprises face is exponentially increasing, let alone the vulnerabilities associated with digital platforms. It is one of the most significant risks being faced by businesses globally. Over the past few years, there have been numerous digital attacks against governments and enterprises. While machine learning has played a crucial role in empowering cyber threats, there is a threat of malicious AI-powered cyberattacks causing massive damage globally. Malicious attackers not only aim at stealing data but also changing it.