The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday warned that cyberattacks powered by advanced artificial intelligence could pose serious risks to global financial stability, urging stronger international cooperation to counter emerging threats.
In a new report, the IMF said large-scale cyber incidents could create funding pressures, raise solvency concerns and disrupt broader financial markets due to the highly interconnected nature of the global financial system.
The report warned that advanced AI models are significantly reducing the time and cost required to identify and exploit cybersecurity vulnerabilities, increasing the risk of sophisticated attacks on financial institutions and critical infrastructure.
The IMF’s warning follows recent concerns raised by AI company Anthropic regarding its unreleased “Mythos” model, which the company said demonstrated an exceptional ability to identify previously unknown software vulnerabilities, commonly referred to as “zero-day” flaws.
Such vulnerabilities are considered highly dangerous because they can be exploited by hackers before developers become aware of them or release security patches.
White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Wednesday that US authorities and private-sector experts were conducting extensive testing of advanced AI systems to ensure they do not pose risks to businesses or government operations.
Earlier this week, the US government also announced a policy change granting authorities access to major technology companies’ AI models before public release for security evaluation purposes.
The IMF warned that emerging and developing economies could face greater exposure to cyber threats because of limited cybersecurity resources and weaker digital defenses.
The report added that the growing dependence on a small number of digital platforms and cloud service providers could amplify the impact of a single exploited weakness, increasing the risk of contagion across sectors and financial systems.
The IMF stressed that resilience and rapid recovery mechanisms must become a priority, warning that cyber defenses alone may not be sufficient to prevent future AI-driven attacks.
Last month, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva also cautioned that the global financial system was not adequately prepared for the cybersecurity challenges posed by artificial intelligence.