How Threat Actors Turned AI Into a Weapon by Mauro Paredes

**Executive summary:** This analysis chronicles a three‑year trajectory (late 2022–2025) in which generative AI moved from aiding attackers to operating as a force multiplier and, in some cases, near‑operator autonomy — enabling large‑scale, multi‑modal campaigns (phishing, voice deepfakes, AI‑generated malware), lowering costs/time/skill barriers via dark‑web marketplaces and toolkits, and creating structural challenges for defenders as attacks run at machine speed.