Mevlut Ozkan
16 January 2025•Update: 16 January 2025
ISTANBUL
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said she nearly fell victim to an artificial intelligence (AI)-induced voice scam that impersonated a foreign leader amid the growing capabilities and integration of AI, according to a report.
“I want to warn people that I, myself, almost fell victim. This matter is important. The Digital Economy and Society Ministry has already taken the case. We have to admit that scams and fraud are increasingly advanced and subtle,” Paetongtarn said Wednesday at a Cabinet meeting.
The scammer used AI voice cloning to impersonate an unidentified country’s leader, according to the Bangkok Post.
The premier was told that she had not made an expected donation and was sent an audio clip replicating the foreign leader's voice. The donation link she received, however, was directed to a donation for another country.
A study in the UK highlighted concerns about the negative effects of reliance on AI tools regarding critical thinking skills.
The study, published Jan. 3 in the journal Societies, found that extensive use of AI tools was linked to lower critical thinking abilities for young people. The findings were based on responses from more than 650 individuals aged 17 and older.
In recent years, top universities, including in the UK, Canada, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the US, have been rushing to establish rules that balance the use of technology with the preservation of academic integrity.
