AI is Making it Easy for Criminals, Especially in Crypto

What happened

Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs reported that criminal use of artificial intelligence rose 40% year-on-year in 2026, according to the supplied article. Scams drove most of this growth. TRM's AI-in-Crime Adoption Index scored overall adoption at 54 out of 100, up from about 28 in 2024.

Confirmed

Global impact / market context

AI tools make scams easier and cheaper to run, possibly increasing losses for people and businesses in crypto. This could push regulators to add stricter rules, which may raise costs for exchanges and slow their growth.

Analyst inference

Scams being the only mature AI category suggests fraud is the leading risk for crypto investors. If trust drops, capital available for buying digital assets may fall, potentially lowering trading activity and reducing revenue for crypto services.

Analyst inference

What to watch

1. Watch for further reports from TRM Labs that provide updated AI-in-Crime Adoption Index scores, as the supplied article only confirms one year-on-year rise of 40%. Confirmed
2. Check future official statements from regulators, which might announce new rules to fight AI-driven scams, since the article does not report any existing or proposed regulations. Proposed
3. Observe whether major crypto firms increase spending on anti-fraud AI systems, because heightened scam risk may push them to invest in protections, which could raise operating costs. Analyst inference

Evidence

• beincrypto.com