"Hundreds of thousands of workers-hailing from over 50 countries-are currently trapped within Southeast Asia's sprawling scam centers, according to estimates by the United Nations. But humanitarian experts think these workers may soon be replaced by artificial intelligence. In some scam centers, messages initiating contact between scammers and potential victims are already being crafted and sent by AI, says Ling Li, a researcher and co-author of Scam: Inside Southeast Asia's Cybercrime Compounds."
""Time is ticking, because large language models may eventually replace even the subsequent steps of pig butchering scams," she adds. ("Pig butchering" refers to a common scam variant where criminals build up relationships with their victims before defrauding them-like how a farmer might fatten up a pig before slaughtering it) Yet experts fear that automation might make it more difficult to bust crime syndicates, as foreign governments lose interest in fighting the problem when their citizens are less at risk from human trafficking."
Hundreds of thousands of workers from over 50 countries are trapped in sprawling scam centers across Southeast Asia, according to UN estimates. Humanitarian experts warn artificial intelligence may soon replace many of these workers. Some scam centers already use AI to craft and send initial contact messages, and large language models could eventually automate later stages of 'pig butchering' scams. Automation may make it harder to dismantle criminal syndicates because foreign governments might reduce pressure if citizens face lower risk from human trafficking. International outrage after high-profile incidents has driven arrests, but reduced visibility could weaken that pressure.
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