Cybercriminals complain about AI-generated spam flooding their forums, with researchers finding growing skepticism about generative AI in hacking communities

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh, University of Cambridge, and University of Strathclyde analyzed 97,895 AI-related conversations on cybercrime forums from the launch of ChatGPT in 2022 through the end of last year, finding increasing pushback against generative AI use in underground hacking communities.

Forum users are complaining about low-quality AI-generated posts—including 'bullet-pointed explainers' of basic cybersecurity concepts—and worry that AI-generated content undermines their reputation as skilled hackers and damages the social dynamics of their communities, where users build up trust and compete for status.

Among lower-level cybercriminals tracked in the study, AI has not yet caused 'real disruption' to established practices, though its main impact has been on 'already highly automated areas such as SEO fraud, social media bots, and some forms of romance scam.'