When hackers meet AI, the game changes. A leading US artificial intelligence company, Anthropic, says cybercriminals have been using its chatbot ‘Claude’ as a weapon, not just to write malicious code, but to carry out scams, thefts, and even plot extortion schemes. AI as a cybercrime tool Anthropic revealed that its AI tools were misused to run large-scale cyber attacks. Hackers reportedly used Claude to: The firm described one case where its AI was involved in an attack on 17 organisations, including government agencies. Anthropic said: They used AI to what we believe is an unprecedented degree. North Korean job scams It’s not just hacking. Anthropic also discovered that North Korean operatives used Claude to create fake job applications for remote roles at top US tech companies. The AI helped them: “Agentic AI can help them leap over those barriers, allowing them to get hired,” said Geoff White, co-host of The Lazarus Heist podcast, pointing out that North Korean workers are usually isolated from the outside world. He added: Their new employer is then in breach of international sanctions by unwittingly paying a North Korean. Why this matters Experts warn that AI is speeding up cybercrime. According to BBC, Cybercrime adviser Alina Timofeeva said: The time required to exploit cybersecurity vulnerabilities is shrinking rapidly. Detection and mitigation must shift towards being proactive and preventative, not reactive after harm is done. Old tricks, new helpers While AI is giving hackers new advantages, experts stress that most attacks still rely on old tactics like phishing emails or exploiting software flaws.
But Anthropic’s findings highlight a worrying new phase: cybercriminals aren’t just using AI to save time, they’re using it to strategise, scam, and scale.
