How much time do you spend dealing with unsolicited, unwanted messages each week? If the answer feels like “too much,” you’re not alone.
Continue reading to discover how AI has transformed spamming into a more targeted strategy that often catches businesses off guard.
What Is Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)?
GenAI is like a masterful artist wielding data as its brush to create text, images, and even music. It transforms many operations in various ways, including:
- Personalized marketing emails
- 24/7 customer support through sophisticated chatbots
- Streamlined content creation for blogs and reports
- Automated social media post generation
Unfortunately, it’s also a tool for trouble in the wrong hands. Cybercriminals are now crafting convincing messages in bulk to compromise individuals and companies with scams.
GenAI’s Role in Modern Cyber Attacks
To better understand emerging digital threats, Columbia University and the University of Chicago studied the threat detection data of Barracuda, a leading cybersecurity firm. Here is a summary of their findings, which covered malicious emails sent from February 2022 to April 2025:
Most Spam Emails Are Now AI-Written
GenAI tools can craft and send thousands of messages in seconds, whereas humans might take several minutes to compose a single email.
This speed means more targets, more attempts, and higher success rates for criminals. Just to give you a clearer picture, deep learning machines now account for 51% of spam.
Finely Tuned Natural Language Processing
If you were familiar with older messages, you’d notice they were clunky, generic, and easy to spot for the discerning eye. How did they change so quickly?
Deep learning models and established neural networks improve their output the more they interact with large datasets and user feedback. They mimic human tone, adapt to context, and slip through traditional detection systems with alarming ease.
Fewer Individual Targets
Researchers found that GenAI only covered 14% of Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks, which pose as trusted individuals or organizations. Threat actors are likely less inclined to employ trained algorithms for this tactic because it requires highly personalized details to appear convincing.
They’re not doing away with this technology completely, though. Some might use computer vision to assess wording variations and identify which ones bypass defenses more quickly, much like A/B testing done in traditional marketing.
A Potentially Globalized Threat Landscape
Businesses in English-speaking countries are no longer safe from criminals with a different native tongue — advanced software can create messages in multiple languages! It broadens their reach and makes the once-localized scams feel authentic across linguistic borders.
How Can Your Business Stay Ahead of GenAI Threats?
Why wait for one of your employees to fall victim? Stay proactive with the following steps:
- Prioritize regular cybersecurity training across the workforce hierarchy, from managers to new hires.
- Install email filters to block suspicious messages before they reach inboxes.
- Encourage the use of multi-factor authentication for all critical systems.
- Regularly update and patch software to eliminate vulnerabilities.
- Partner with cybersecurity professionals to audit your defenses.
AI-driven spam is surging, with trends showing sharper increases ahead. Protect your company now by securing systems with machine learning and arming employees with up-to-date knowledge.