Artificial intelligence upsets balances in the fight against digital crime. Long prerogative of experts, cybercrime has widely democratized thanks to generative AI tools, which lower technical barriers to entry. A deep mutation that the police observe with lucidity, while accelerating their own technological transformation.
The sophistication threshold collapses
Intervening on the occasion of the presentation of the SOCTA 2025 report during the Incyber forum, Jean-Philippe LECOUFFEDEPUTY Executive Director Operations of Europol, draws a detour: “Thanks to artificial intelligence, for example, the threshold for a criminal, the knowledge threshold, I would say, of sophistication, is lowered. »»
Attacks that required advanced skills yesterday are now accessible to opportunistic profiles, sometimes very young. “With AI, you can do an online scam in 26 land languages. And send it massively to thousands and thousands of people. »»
AI plays a large -scale crime accelerator here.
An asymmetrical digital race
This mutation amplifies a structural imbalance: “It’s a race. We obviously always run behind the thieves. It hasn’t changed. Simply, the race today, it is digital. She is with the tools. She is with artificial intelligence. »»
Cybercriminals benefit from technological agility freed from any legal constraint. Investigators are advancing in a legal framework that is often dated and under tension. “We also have, in our backpack, I would say, some stones, sometimes. Because the legal framework must also evolve. »»
Europol changes in defensive innovation
To respond to this rise in attackers, Europol intensifies its digital transformation.
“Europol turned a lot towards innovation. We are convinced that we can use all these technological tools for the benefit of the defense of citizens. »»
This involves the integration of new profiles: “Today we are recruiting today from investigators, but data scientists, AI specialists capable of helping us analyze massive data, to prove evidence in digital evidence. »»
The objective: to increase reactivity and analytical capacity in the face of increasing data volumes.
The balance of power evolves, but does not overturn
Technology alone is not enough to rebalance the situation. It must be accompanied by a change of method. Jean-Philippe LECOUFFE summarizes the new operational doctrine in three axes:
“Men, infrastructure and money. »»
This triptych aims to identify the authors, disturb the technical means (servers, botnets, illegal VPN) and trace financial flows-especially via cryptocurrencies.
AI becomes a transversal tool, at the service of each stage of this strategy.
Police at AI time
Artificial intelligence does not only transform businesses or industry. It deeply redefines the conditions for the exercise of sovereignty and public security. Faced with ever more professional cybercriminals, the state response can only be hybrid, mixing human capacities, technical innovation and regulatory adaptation.
“It is a job that becomes more and more technical, technological”, affirm Jean-Philippe LECOUFFE. The balance of power moves to the digital field, and democracies have no choice but to fully engage their means – at the risk of being left.
