In early May, Guy Rosen made a surprising statement, comparing ChatGPT to the world of cryptocurrency. However, his intention was far from complimentary. ChatGPT, the new machine-learning software developed by OpenAI, inadvertently unleashed a wave of malware that scammers eagerly exploited, taking advantage of the widespread interest in artificial intelligence.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, where Rosen serves as the chief information security officer, reported that they had encountered and thwarted nearly ten new strains of malware this year alone. These malicious programs often disguised themselves as ChatGPT browser extensions and productivity tools. The unexpected surge of interest in machine learning led scammers to deploy various techniques, resulting in over a thousand blocked links by Facebook since March, all designed to lure unsuspecting users to harmful websites.
Similar to the rise and fall of cryptocurrency, machine learning has become a new frontier for what Rosen refers to as “bad actors.” However, it’s not only scammers who are attracted to the potential of generative AI. Major software companies such as Google’s Alphabet, Microsoft, Baidu, Salesforce, and even Meta itself have delved into the realm opened up by OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Executives and researchers from these companies have been departing in large numbers to establish their own machine-learning startups, focusing on niche applications of generative AI.
