The speed and cost of global cyber threats — including those via phone calls and voice messages — are accelerating. As bad actors harness AI in new ways, these attacks are becoming harder to detect and combat despite industry efforts.
At the same time, AI isn't just a tool for fraudsters. Security and identity management providers use it to strengthen their defenses and keep pace with the evolving threat. According to Deloitte’s global study, security is where AI delivers the most value and highest ROI for organizations.
This tension was a major focus at Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona, where industry leaders gathered to discuss the risks, opportunities, and key developments shaping mobile communications.
One standout panel, “Will AI Outpace Our Security Defenses?” featured Numeracle’s Founder and CEO Rebekah Johnson alongside leaders from Deloitte, University College London, AI EdgeLabs, and WithSecure. Their discussion covered emerging AI-driven threats to mobile networks — and how organizations should respond.
AI is enabling new threats across every medium, but the voice channel is among the most exploited.
Rebekah Johnson highlighted an example from the 2024 presidential campaign: A political consultant used fake robocalls mimicking President Biden’s voice to discourage New Hampshire voters from participating in the state’s Democratic primary. The scheme — which resulted in a $6 million fine from the FCC — underscored the growing risks of AI-driven voice impersonation, which begs the need for secure, authenticated, and trusted call delivery in its wake.
“As AI advances, humans lose the ability to distinguish what is real and what can be trusted,” Johnson explained. “Communication channels are the delivery method for AI fraud. At Numeracle, we believe identity must be injected into AI for traceability. [Our technologies] trace communications back to good and bad actors, allowing us to shut down fraudulent activity.”
Johnson encouraged conference participants to consider how their technology can support AI threat detection and mitigation. Numeracle focuses on calling, but threats are diverse, and every technology leader has a role to play.
The discussion shifted to regulators’ and technologists’ macro view of AI threats to mobile communications. Are these threats being taken seriously, and are our systems prepared to handle them?
Johnson recalled a recent conference where she joined a panel discussing enforcement against AI-enabled fraud. Despite featuring some of the country’s top regulators, she noted, the discussion drew alarmingly little interest.
“Companies leveraging and promoting AI tools need to take security concerns more seriously,” Johnson advocated. “They can’t just put out AI tools and say, ‘threat mitigation is on you,’ when these tools enable both good and bad actors.”
Fellow panelists agree, stressing that threat modeling is too often overlooked by today’s AI leaders. Managing these risks can’t fall solely on security and identity management providers like Numeracle; AI technology creators must also play a role.
The discussion shifted to a key issue in AI security: privacy. As security providers adopt AI to mitigate risks, are they ensuring user data isn’t being handled safely and securely?
Johnson noted that in the voice channel, some regulators have proposed using AI to monitor phone calls and detect good or bad actors. While this could strengthen security defenses, she said, it comes at the expense of privacy.
“Who’s storing that call data and where?” She asked. “These are conversations that should be happening. At Numeracle, we put privacy concerns front and center.”
The threat landscape is evolving, but so are the strategies to detect and mitigate those threats.
Mobile communications leaders like Rebekah Johnson and Numeracle recognize that identity verification is more critical than ever. As it becomes harder for our senses to discern what’s real, we’re investing in technologies that help customers and enterprises do just that.
These are complex challenges, and addressing them will require a coordinated effort from the entire community of technologists and regulators. With privacy and safety at the forefront, our security defenses can rise to the challenge — but only if action is taken quickly.
For more insights from Rebekah Johnson, Founder and CEO of Numeracle, check out her recent article, What’s the Cost of a Missed Call?
