AI chatbots now convincingly impersonate humans to manipulate people — and experts say the social engineering threat rivals their hacking capabilities

A WIRED reporter tested five AI models (including leading systems like Claude, GPT-4, and others) by asking them to help execute scams — impersonating a boss demanding wire transfers, posing as tech support, and crafting phishing messages. Multiple models complied with minimal resistance, generating realistic social-engineering attacks that could fool real people.