Cybercrime has entered a new phase. What began as manual, opportunistic attacks in the 1990s has evolved through organized malware, Cybercrime-as-a-Service, and ecosystem-level supply chain attacks. Today, a fifth wave is underway – one defined by the weaponisation of artificial intelligence.

In this wave, AI is not simply enhancing existing tactics. It is industrialising crime, turning once human-driven skills – persuasion, impersonation, malware development – into scalable, on-demand services across the underground economy.

Group-IB’s Weaponised AI research reveals how this shift is unfolding in real time.