India, June 23 -- Email scammers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) tools to launch large-scale spam campaigns, rather than sophisticated, targeted attacks, according to new research conducted by the Universities of Columbia and Chicago. The study, which leverages threat detection data from cybersecurity company Barracuda, found that 51% of spam emails are now AI-generated, compared to just 14% of business email compromise (BEC) messages. Nonetheless, the use of AI in both categories is rising steadily.

The researchers analysed a vast dataset of unsolicited and malicious emails provided by Barracuda, spanning from February 2022 to April 2025.

Their findings highlight several key trends. By April 2025, 51% of spam e...