UK says AI will empower ransomware over the next two years

The UK NCSC warns that generative AI will intensify cyber threats through 2025 by enhancing reconnaissance, social engineering, and coding for actors across skill levels, thereby increasing ransomware and broader cybercrime. While highly capable actors with quality datasets may develop more evasive malware, the near‑term impact is evolutionary and driven by the commoditization of AI tools that lower entry barriers and boost the volume and effectiveness of attacks.