UNAM study examines crime groups' alleged AI use

Reporting and context

El Imparcial reports that a study by Juan Manuel Aguilar-Antonio, a professor and researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico’s FES Aragón, examined how organized-crime groups in Mexico use artificial intelligence and other digital tools. The study was developed through the EL PACCTO 2.0 program with financial support from the European Union and was presented at the Mexican Institute of Strategic Studies in National Security and Defense. According to the report, the research describes technology as an addition to, rather than a replacement for, territorial control and physical violence.

The report says the study identified navigation and risk-prediction systems, sometimes described as “smart routing,” among the tools allegedly used by groups including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and Sinaloa Cartel. Those systems could be used to estimate travel times, assess threats and avoid police checkpoints while moving drugs or people, according to the study. El Imparcial also reports that the research describes the use of artificial intelligence with cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology to complicate financial monitoring.

The study further examines alleged voice-cloning and language-model uses in telephone extortion, emotional fraud and identity impersonation. According to the report, criminals may create false kidnapping, accident or emergency scenarios using cloned voices to pressure families for immediate payments. It also describes recommendation algorithms on short-video platforms as a possible recruitment tool and says criminal organizations are seeking technical specialists in addition to operational personnel. These findings are attributed to the study and El Imparcial; the article does not independently verify each alleged use or assign conduct to a specific individual.