New YorkCNN \u2014 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the world may be on the precipice of a \u201cfraud crisis\u201d because of how artificial intelligence could enable bad actors to impersonate other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cA thing that terrifies me is apparently there are still some financial institutions that will accept a voice print as authentication for you to move a lot of money or do something else \u2014 you say a challenge phrase, and they just do it,\u201d Altman said. \u201cThat is a crazy thing to still be doing\u2026 AI has fully defeated most of the ways that people authenticate currently, other than passwords.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The comments were part of his wide-ranging interview about the economic and societal impacts of AI at the Federal Reserve on Tuesday. He also told the audience, which included, representatives of large US financial institutions, about the role he expects AI to play in the economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His appearance comes as the White House is expected to release its \u201cAI Action Plan\u201d in the coming days, a policy document to outline its approach to regulating the technology and promoting America\u2019s dominance in the AI space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
OpenAI, which provided recommendations for the plan, has ramped up its presence on and around Capitol Hill in recent months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Tuesday, the company confirmed it will open its first Washington, DC, office early next year to house its approximately 30-person workforce in the city. Chan Park, OpenAI\u2019s head of global affairs for the US and Canada, will lead the new office alongside Joe Larson, who is leaving defense technology company Anduril to become OpenAI\u2019s vice president of government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company will use the space to host policymakers, preview new technology, and provide AI trainings, for example, to teachers<\/a> and government officials. It will also house research into AI\u2019s economic impact and how to improve access to the technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite Altman\u2019s warnings about the technology\u2019s risks, OpenAI has urged<\/a> the Trump administration to avoid regulation it says could hamper tech companies\u2019 ability to compete with foreign AI innovations. Earlier this month, the US Senate voted to strike<\/a> a controversial provision from Trump\u2019s agenda bill that would have prevented states from enforcing AI-related laws for 10 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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A fraud crisis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Altman isn\u2019t alone in worrying that AI will supercharge fraud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The FBI warned<\/a> about these AI voice and video \u201ccloning\u201d scams last year. Multiple parents have reported<\/a> that AI voice technology was used in attempts to trick them out of money by convincing them that their children were in trouble. And earlier this month, US officials warned<\/a> that someone using AI to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio\u2019s voice had contacted foreign ministers, a US governor and a member of Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am very nervous that we have an impending, significant, impending fraud crisis,\u201d Altman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRight now, it\u2019s a voice call; soon it\u2019s going be a video or FaceTime that\u2019s indistinguishable from reality,\u201d Altman said. He warned that while his company isn\u2019t building such impersonation tools, it\u2019s a challenge the world will soon need to confront as AI continues to evolve. Altman is backing a tool<\/a> called The Orb, built by Tools for Humanity, that says it will offer \u201cproof of human\u201d in a world where AI makes it harder to distinguish what, and who, is real online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n