Tech expert explains AI risk, what UAE residents should do amid industry concerns
Why AI Safety Is Suddenly Getting More Attention
Artificial intelligence has moved rapidly from simple chatbots and image generators toward systems that can perform multiple tasks, use software tools and operate with less direct human intervention.
That change has prompted a fresh debate among AI companies, researchers and cybersecurity professionals about whether safety measures are keeping pace with technological progress.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei recently called for the industry to slow the pace at which frontier AI capabilities improve. His proposal focuses on giving safety systems and independent evaluation more time to develop alongside increasingly powerful models.
The discussion does not mean that all AI systems are dangerous or that people should stop using the technology. Instead, it highlights the need to distinguish between risks already affecting consumers and businesses and more uncertain long-term scenarios.
Some AI Risks Are Already Here
For ordinary users, cybersecurity may be one of the clearest areas where AI is already changing the threat landscape.
According to Yassin Watlal, CrowdStrike's Senior Director of Systems Engineering for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa, AI has lowered the technical barrier for some cybercriminals.
Attackers can use AI to create more convincing phishing messages, automate parts of their operations, generate malicious code more quickly and make fraudulent communications appear more authentic.
That means a scam message may no longer contain obvious spelling mistakes or awkward wording. Artificial intelligence can help criminals produce messages that appear more professional and can be tailored to a particular person or organisation.
- AI development is accelerating across consumer and enterprise applications.
- Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has called for a slower pace of frontier-AI development.
- Cybercriminals can use AI to make phishing and other attacks faster and more convincing.
- AI agents can perform multiple steps and interact with software tools.
- Experts recommend stronger account security and careful verification of unexpected requests.
- Businesses using AI agents need clear permissions, monitoring and human oversight.
AI Is Making Cybercrime Faster
One of the biggest changes is speed. An attacker who previously needed considerable time to prepare convincing material can now use AI to automate parts of that process.
This can affect phishing, social engineering, impersonation and other forms of online fraud.
Cybersecurity teams face a similar challenge. If attackers can process information and move between systems more quickly, defenders also need tools capable of identifying suspicious behaviour and responding rapidly.
CrowdStrike has reported that the time between an initial compromise and an attacker's movement deeper into an organisation has become increasingly compressed. This makes early detection and strong identity protection particularly important.
AI Agents Create a New Security Question
Traditional generative AI usually waits for a user to ask a question and then produces a response. Newer AI agents can be given an objective and allowed to complete several steps using connected tools.
Depending on how they are configured, agents can search information, analyse files, write code, interact with applications and carry out other tasks.
This creates a different security challenge because an AI system with access to external tools can potentially turn an incorrect instruction into an action.
For companies, important questions include what data an AI system can access, what software it can control and which actions require human approval.
What Is the Bigger AI Concern?
Beyond today's cybersecurity problems, some researchers are examining what could happen if AI systems become substantially more capable and autonomous.
One area of discussion involves AI systems helping researchers develop newer and more powerful systems. If that process becomes increasingly automated, questions about oversight and control could become more important.
These scenarios remain uncertain. There is no established timetable for the most extreme possibilities discussed by researchers, and experts disagree about how likely they are to become reality.
That uncertainty is one reason the AI industry is debating how much testing, independent evaluation and human supervision should be required as capabilities increase.
What Dario Amodei Is Calling For
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has argued that the development of frontier AI should be paced so that safety measures can catch up with technological capabilities.
His proposal includes independent safety evaluators having access to AI systems, greater cooperation between leading AI laboratories and international coordination around safety standards.
Amodei has emphasized that slowing the pace does not mean stopping AI development altogether. The objective he describes is to create more time for testing, safeguards and oversight as models become more capable.
Other technology leaders have also expressed support for stronger AI safety measures, although there is disagreement across the industry about how such measures should be implemented.
What UAE Residents Should Do Now
For people living in the UAE, experts say the immediate response should focus on practical digital security rather than panic about hypothetical future AI scenarios.
The first step is to protect important online accounts. Residents should enable multi-factor authentication wherever it is available, particularly for email, banking, social-media and cloud-storage accounts.
People should also be cautious when receiving unexpected requests for passwords, payments, verification codes or account access.
If a message appears to come from a colleague, bank, delivery company or government-related service but asks for urgent action, verify the request through an independent channel before responding.
Five Simple AI-Safety Steps for UAE Residents
- Enable multi-factor authentication: Add an extra verification step to important online accounts.
- Do not trust urgent messages automatically: AI can make fraudulent messages look more convincing.
- Verify unusual requests: Contact the person or organisation through a known phone number or official website.
- Protect personal information: Avoid entering sensitive documents, passwords or confidential information into unfamiliar AI tools.
- Review AI permissions: Check what information connected AI applications can access and remove permissions that are not necessary.
Why Businesses Need Extra Protection
The risks become more complicated when businesses connect AI systems to company databases, internal applications or customer information.
Companies should establish clear limits around what an AI system is permitted to access and what actions it can perform without human approval.
Human oversight is particularly important when AI is being used for sensitive decisions or when an automated system has the ability to modify data, communicate externally or interact with business-critical systems.
Security teams also need to consider the AI tools themselves as part of the organisation's cybersecurity environment.
AI Safety Is Not Only About Future Superintelligence
Much of the public conversation around AI focuses on extremely advanced systems and the possibility that they could eventually become difficult for humans to control.
Those scenarios remain subjects of debate and research. But users do not need to wait for such developments before taking basic security precautions.
Phishing, identity theft, impersonation and automated cybercrime are practical problems today. These are risks that individuals and businesses can address through better security practices.
The wider lesson is that AI safety has both a present-day and a long-term dimension.
Video: Dario Amodei Discusses the Future of AI
What UAE Companies Should Consider
Businesses adopting AI agents should establish clear rules before connecting those systems to sensitive data or important software.
Questions should include which employees can approve AI actions, what information an AI system can access, how activity is logged and how quickly a human can intervene if something goes wrong.
Organisations should also regularly review third-party AI tools because their capabilities, permissions and security arrangements can change over time.
AI Risk and the UAE: The Bottom Line
Artificial intelligence is becoming more capable, and the debate over AI safety is expanding beyond research laboratories and technology companies.
For UAE residents, some of the most relevant risks are already familiar: phishing, impersonation, fraud, stolen credentials and cyberattacks can all become more effective when criminals have access to AI tools.
At the same time, researchers and technology leaders are discussing more uncertain long-term risks associated with increasingly autonomous systems.
The practical response is not to abandon AI. Instead, users should strengthen account security, verify unexpected requests, protect sensitive information and understand what permissions AI applications have.
Related Reading & Backlinks
Readers can learn more about AI safety, cybersecurity and responsible artificial intelligence through these linking websites:
- Khaleej Times – AI risk and what UAE residents should do
- Dario Amodei – We Must Pace the Frontier
- Anthropic – Artificial Intelligence Research and Safety
- CrowdStrike – Cybersecurity and AI Security
- WAM – Anthropic CEO calls for slower AI development
- Reuters – Anthropic CEO urges AI companies to slow model development
- Bloomberg Technology – Dario Amodei on the Future of AI
Primary UAE report: Khaleej Times
AI safety statement: Dario Amodei – We Must Pace the Frontier
Additional reporting: Reuters
UAE reporting: Emirates News Agency – WAM
Photo Source 1: Wikimedia Commons – Dario Amodei at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023
Photo Source 2: Wikimedia Commons – Dario Amodei at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023
Video Source: Bloomberg Technology / YouTube
The article has been independently written in original wording and is not a reproduction of the source articles.
Video Note: The embedded video is an archival Bloomberg Technology interview with Dario Amodei from the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos. It is provided for additional context and is not presented as footage from the September 19, 2026 UAE report.
Editorial Note: The article distinguishes between documented current cybersecurity risks and longer-term AI scenarios that remain uncertain and subject to debate among researchers and technology leaders.
