AI Scams Are Getting Nasty, and Healthcare AI Still Hasn’t Proven Itself

We’re in a new era of AI-driven scams

When ChatGPT dropped in late 2022, it didn’t take long for cybercriminals to realize they could use generative AI to write convincing phishing emails. Since then, they’ve gone all in: turbocharged phishing, hyperrealistic deepfakes, automated vulnerability scans — you name it, they’ve automated it.

Organizations are struggling to keep up. AI makes attacks faster, cheaper, and easier to execute, and the trend is only going to get worse as more criminals adopt these tools and the tech itself improves. Rhiannon Williams has the full story on how AI is reshaping cybercrime, and honestly, it’s not a pretty picture.

This is one of those “10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now” picks from MIT Technology Review, and if you’re a subscriber, you can watch a roundtable discussion with their AI reporter and editors breaking down the technologies and trends that actually matter.

Meanwhile, healthcare AI is here, but we don’t know if it helps patients.

Doctors are using AI for notetaking, scanning patient records, flagging people who might need specific treatments, and even interpreting X-rays and exam results. A growing number of studies show these tools can deliver accurate results. But here’s the uncomfortable question: does that accuracy translate into better health outcomes for patients?

We don’t have a good answer yet. Jessica Hamzelou explains why in The Checkup newsletter, and it’s worth reading. The gap between “the AI got it right” and “the patient got better” is wider than most people realize.

DeepSeek finally unveiled its long-awaited new AI model, DeepSeek-V4, in preview form. The Chinese company claims it’s the most powerful open-source platform out there, and that it rivals top closed-source models from OpenAI and DeepMind. It’s also adapted for Huawei chip technology, which is an interesting move given the ongoing chip export restrictions. Whether it lives up to the hype remains to be seen — I’ve seen enough “breakthrough” models fizzle out to stay skeptical.

More countries are curbing children’s social media access. Norway is set to enforce a ban, the Philippines could follow soon, and in the US, there’s a growing push to get AI out of schools entirely. I get the impulse — kids don’t need another dopamine loop — but blanket bans rarely solve the underlying problems. It’s a messy conversation that’s only going to get messier.

That’s the state of things. AI is supercharging scams, healthcare AI is running on faith more than data, and regulators are scrambling to keep up. Same as it ever was, just faster.