World leaders must wise up to threat of cyber-attacks or rogue fridges will be least of their worries | Heather Stewart

At the IMF annual meeting in Bangkok, managing director Kristalina Georgieva highlighted the rising threat of AI-accelerated cybercrime, citing incidents like hackers spoiling food by manipulating French supermarket fridges. She warned that such cyber-attacks could erode trust in financial systems, potentially driving people away from banks. Additionally, concerns were raised about AI financial agents potentially destabilizing markets by moving deposits en masse.