Deepfake technology heads up the list of security concerns predicted for next year by Robert Le Busque, the Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific for Verizon Business Group.
Le Busque - who is also Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors for the American Chamber of Commerce Australia, a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and member of the Queensland Sudoku team - warns that deepfake technology will become a major tool for cyberattacks “blurring the line between reality and deception in phishing scams”.
Here’s Le Busque’s key tech predictions for 2025:
PRIMARY PREDICTIONS
Prediction 1: Deepfake technology will quickly become the go-to tool for cybercriminals, blurring the line between reality and deception in phishing scams
- Deep fakes will become a major tool for cyberattacks. Highly accessible to anyone with a laptop, the technology is becoming more accessible, partly due to the availability of open source software, making it easier for bad actors to use in social engineering and phishing scams.
- The Asia-Pacific region has experienced a 1530% surge in deepfake cases from 2022 to 2023. With AI-driven fraud remaining the most prominent challenge across various industries, crypto is the main target sector followed by fintech.
- The primary barriers to widespread adoption have been access to generative AI platforms and the cost of processing power (GPU availability), but these obstacles are quickly diminishing.
Prediction 2: the race for global connectivity will drive billions into submarine cable networks, with a critical shortage creating a new wave of investment in public IP infrastructure
- A shortage of submarine cable capacity will drive investment. The increasing demand for global connectivity, coupled with geopolitical factors, will lead to significant investment in public IP submarine cable networks.
- There is currently a capacity shortage in global submarine cable infrastructure. Furthermore, the new capacity worth $11.5 billion being built over the next three years will primarily serve hyperscale use, creating a “walled garden.”
- Given the growing geopolitical importance of this asset, we will see a large inflow of capital into public IP submarine cable networks.
SECONDARY PREDICTIONS
Prediction 3: Gen AI will stress legacy enterprise networks in 2025, forcing businesses to overhaul their infrastructure or risk crippling underperformance in their most critical AI applications.
- The data demands of Gen AI will stress many existing enterprise networks, which can cause underperformance and a need for significant network upgrades.
- As enterprises race to adopt and accelerate AI use cases, many will find their broadband or public IP-enabled networks are not up to the task. This will result in significant underperformance of the very applications that were promised to enhance enterprise operations through AI adoption.
- Large-scale network redesign and upgrades may be required, and access to the necessary skills to implement these changes effectively will become increasingly constrained.
Prediction 4: The future of robotics isn't just in cars - non-vehicle robots are set to go mainstream, powered by global wireless infrastructure and growing connectivity.
- When Tesla recently launched the autonomous cab, it was the humanoid robot that stole the show. The regulatory barriers to the mass adoption of other robot forms (excluding autonomous cars) are much lower and more accessible to markets.
- There are arguably many more use cases for non-vehicle autonomous forms. With the strength of global wireless infrastructure and the growing capabilities of these connected machines, non-vehicle robots are poised to enter the mainstream.