Experts call for AI shield against cyber threats

As India accelerates its digital transformation, the risks shadowing that growth, such as AI-enabled cybercrime, deepfakes, dark web networks and mass data breaches, took centre stage at the AI Impact Summit during a high-level panel titled “AI for Secure India”.

Experts from law enforcement, academia, judiciary, cybersecurity and policy domains converged to outline both the scale of the threat and the promise of artificial intelligence as a counterforce.

Opening the discussion, Tarun Wig, co-founder of Innefu Labs, framed cybercrime as a “networked phenomenon”, arguing that traditional policing methods were no longer adequate. “Every crime leaves a data trail. AI helps build patterns across massive datasets such as financial flows, device forensics, communication logs to uncover criminal networks,” he said. Citing forensic investigations, Wig said analysing cloned images of seized laptops and phones could involve tens of terabytes of data which was impossible to process manually but well within AI’s capability. He referenced pilot projects where AI pattern recognition flagged thousands of suspicious GST transactions within months.

From the legal lens, Vivek Sood, senior advocate, cautioned against technological overreach. Stressing that the right to privacy, upheld as a fundamental right, must remain central, Sood said AI should strengthen investigations without diluting civil liberties. “Prevention, prosecution and protection of the innocent must move together. AI is a double-edged weapon. It can enable crime as much as it can combat it,” he observed, adding that wrongful implication in tech-driven probes must be guarded against through due process.

Highlighting enforcement challenges, Triveni Singh of the Future Crime Research Foundation, said cybercriminals were often “a step ahead” of agencies. He detailed how organised scam syndicates now operate from transnational hubs, running AI-driven call centres, synthetic video scams and IVR fraud systems. “In 2024 alone, Indians lost over Rs 22,000 crore to cyber fraud. These networks recruit tech workers, confiscate passports and force them into scam operations,” Singh revealed, underscoring the globalised nature of AI crime.

Policy expert Rakesh Maheshwari, a cyber law & data governance specialist, pointed to regulatory guardrails emerging through India’s digital personal data protection framework. He stressed principles of minimal data collection, purpose limitation, breach disclosure and user rights to data access and erasure. “Trust, transparency and accountability must anchor the digital economy. When platforms fail, governance mechanisms must step in,” he said.

Academia’s role in prevention was flagged by Dr Sapna Bansal of Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi. She called for tighter coordination between educators, government and law enforcement to embed cyber ethics and AI literacy into curricula.