Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are all the rage, but be careful when downloading mobile apps that use this technology.
How to Spot AI Scammers and Stay Safe
A new report finds that scammers are flooding app stores with software claiming to exploit OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The apps often come with high subscription fees and contain intrusive ads.
“AI apps have exploded since the rise of generative AI and chatbots like ChatGPT and Bard,” Josh Davies, a marketing manager at cybersecurity firm Fortra, told Lifewire in an email interview. “Everyone is rushing to push their AI bot out, and many have developed an AI application to perform certain functions, such as creating presentations, generating animations, or stock photography. This explosion can make it very difficult to distinguish the legitimate from the illegitimate, and makes it easier to accidentally download a illegitimate app masquerading as a handy new AI tool.”
New AI apps are trying to force users to pay subscription fees ranging from $9.99 to $69.99, according to a recent study from cybersecurity firm Sophos. The apps are also using tactics such as strictly limiting app usage and non-subscription functionality.
