In the past 10 years, there has been a rapid proliferation of publicly available tools and applications (apps) using artificial intelligence (AI). While these tools have the potential to significantly benefit daily life, studies find there are growing concerns about the potential for AI technologies to be misused for criminal, nefarious or antisocial purposes.

Little to no research has examined whether Australians believe they or their families will be personally impacted by crimes involving AI technology in the imminent future, and which specific AI technologies are perceived as posing the greatest risk of harm to individuals and their families.

This report examined data from the Australian Cybercrime Survey to measure the perceived frequency of AI-enabled crimes and which specific technologies pose the greatest perceived risk of victimisation. The findings highlight priority areas for industry safeguards and public education.

Key findings

• Half of respondents were worried about AI causing them harm or being a victim of AI-enabled crime, and nearly one in five believed this would occur in the next 12 months. 
• Respondents were most concerned about AI being used to track their location, AI being used to access their device or accounts to commit other forms of cybercrime, and the use of AI to manipulate, impersonate or trick them in ways that would cause harm or embarrassment.
• Perceived frequency of, and victimisation from, different misuses of AI technology varied by respondent age, gender and parental status.