TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – Attacks from cybercriminals are on the rise. They’re getting a boost from something people are embracing: artificial intelligence. But the teams trying to stop the crooks are using it as well. A few local cybercrime stoppers were honored recently by Ohio Tech News as among the highest regarded cyber security experts in the state, including Gwen Betts, co-founder of the Maro Group and Galing Group, and Jason Slagle, president of CNWR.They are using AI to target cybercriminals who are using the same technology.One thing AI does really well is find vulnerabilities, including vulnerabilities that small businesses have in their technology. “AI really accelerates their ability to do bad things to everyday, normal people,” said Gwen Betts, co-founder for the Maro Group & Galing Group. “They can use AI to do research specifically about your company and they can send you bait and targeting that seems very, very convincing,” said Jason Slagle, president of CNWR. Slagle and Betts urge people to use same critical skills they’ve used on the internet for years now. “Have an air of suspiciousness,” Slagle said. “It’s probably the case that your CEO is not texting you during a meeting to go buy gift cards.”“This is the constant cat-and-mouse game we have had with technology really over the past 20 to 30 years,” Betts said. “What AI makes different is that it makes expertise available to anyone.”AI is allowing more people to get into the cybercrime space, so be careful what you’re sharing in case the technology is used to come after you or your businesses.Experts caution against relying on AI to manage bank accounts. For example, if a business gets a spoof email from a vendor claiming they’ve changed their banking information and need payment sent a new way, having AI automatically respond and pay the bill skips a key step: using a critical eye any time someone asks for money.Latest Local News | First Alert Weather | Crime | National | 13abc OriginalsCopyright 2026 WTVG. All rights reserved.
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