AI Powers Automated Social Engineering Attacks

Miguel Fornés, Governance and Compliance Manager at Surfshark, says in a Help Net Security video on February 10, 2026 that AI is automating social engineering attacks. He explains tasks that once took weeks—research and targeting—are now rapid and cheap as attackers use AI agents to collect open-source data and conduct live conversations without human involvement. This lowers attacker skill and cost and erodes trust in calls, messages, and meetings.