Europol warns of AI-powered organized crime

Masked person standing near LED sign.Masked person standing near LED sign.
Masked person standing near LED sign.
Photo by Max Bender on Unsplash
Europol issued a warning Tuesday about organized crime groups increasingly using artificial intelligence to power their criminal operations.

According to anew report, criminals are using AI to create scams in multiple languages, produce realistic impersonations to aid blackmail, and generate child sexual abuse material. Europol recently cracked down on the latter,coordinating the arrests of 24 people across 19 countries for violating national laws against deepfake child pornography.

“The very DNA of organized crime is changing rapidly, adapting to a world in flux,” wrote Europol executive director Catherine De Bolle. “These innovations [in AI] expand the speed, scale, and sophistication of organized crime, creating an even more complex and rapidly evolving threat landscape for law enforcement.” The report also warns that in the future autonomous AIs could even control criminal networks without human guidance.

More from GZERO Media

​Israelis protest against the government over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to remove Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, the resumption of Israeli strikes on Gaza, and the return of far-right politician Itamar Ben Gvir to the cabinet.​Israelis protest against the government over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to remove Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, the resumption of Israeli strikes on Gaza, and the return of far-right politician Itamar Ben Gvir to the cabinet.

Israelis protest against the government over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to remove Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, the resumption of Israeli strikes on Gaza, and the return of far-right politician Itamar Ben Gvir to the cabinet.

Ilia Yefimovich/dpa via Reuters Connect

Israel has launched a “limited ground operation” to retake the strategic Netzarim Corridor in Gaza as part of its offensive against Hamas, sealing off North and South Gaza and reoccupying four fortified bases. The moves follow Israeli airstrikes that reportedly killed over 400 Palestinians in 48 hours.

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu looks on after his swearing-in ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria, on May 29, 2023.
REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency Tuesday in the southern state of Rivers, suspending its governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and local legislators for six months and naming former navy chief Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas the caretaker governor. The state of emergency also enables the federal government to make regulations and send security forces into Rivers State to maintain order.

Kaja Kallas, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of European External Action Service, attends the special EU leaders meeting with the heads of state in Brussels and the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brussels, Belgium, on March 6, 2025

Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Reuters
Ekrem Imamoglu, from Republican People's Party, is seen as one of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's strongest political rivals.
Depo Photos/Sipa USA via Reuters

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan launched a widespread crackdown on his political opposition Wednesday when police arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu just days before the popular opposition leader was set to win his party’s presidential nod.

Jess Frampton

A 90-minute-plus phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin yesterday scored some points for both the Americans and Russians, and without directly undermining Ukraine or the Europeans. But it’s what the two presidents couldn’t agree on that shows us the large potholes on the road ahead toward lasting peace.

President Donald Trump greets Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts Jr. as he arrives to deliver an address to a joint session of Congress at the US Capitol on March 04, 2025.
Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS

President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that Judge James Boasberg, who ruled against his deportations, should be impeached. A Republican lawmaker then filed articles of impeachment against Boasberg, and Supreme Court Justice John Roberts issued a rare rebuke, saying it "is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision."

Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump hold a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Following a “frank exchange of opinions” between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the US president came away from this much-anticipated two-and-a-half-hour phone call on Tuesday with much less than he had agreed with Ukraine.