The head of OpenAI has warned bankers of a wave of AI fraud. How to play it?
While AI has become a powerful tool for attackers, it dramatically strengthens cyber defenses as well

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he is concerned about how financial firms are responding to the rise of artificial intelligence fraud, writes Barron's. According to Altman, banks are not yet prepared for the rapid increase in sophistication of such schemes. Meanwhile, OpenAI itself is already making money in the financial sector, helping to automate processes and strengthen defenses against those very threats. Investors can also benefit from the growing interest in AI solutions in cybersecurity.
Details
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed bewilderment that banks are still using voice biometrics to verify identity. "To transfer a large sum of money or perform some other action, you say a verification phrase and the transaction is done. It's crazy that this approach is still being practiced," he told a U.S. Federal Reserve conference in Washington, where leading bankers gathered.
По словам Альтмана, искусственный интеллект «полностью обошел большинство современных методов аутентификации за исключением паролей». "All this fancy stuff - you know, take selfies and wave your hand, or voice recognition, and things like that - I'm seriously worried that we're going to have a serious fraud crisis because of this," the warned businessman. "Right now it's a voice call. Soon it will be a FaceTime video call - and you won't be able to distinguish it from a real one," he said.
Fed Vice Chair for Oversight Michelle Bowman made it clear to Altman that the U.S. central bank is allowing the use of AI to combat such fraud. "Perhaps that's something we could think about in a partnership - identifying these kinds of fabrications or deliberate imitations," she suggested. Altman promised to cooperate.
How it benefits OpenAI
OpenAI is already selling its products to banks - to automate employee tasks, prepare reports and analyze data. The more companies learn how AI tools can be used, the more the startup will earn, notes Barron's.
While AI is a powerful tool for attackers, it is also a game changer in cybersecurity, forcing corporations to take a new approach to protecting data and systems, stresses one of the largest consulting firms, McKinsey & Co. According to Grand View Research's forecast, the global AI market in cybersecurity will grow by a quarter annually over the next six years.
How to play it
OpenAI securities are not traded on the stock exchange. But this week, Kiplinger, a U.S. publisher specializing in personal finance advice and business forecasts, named the top six cybersecurity stocks to buy amid accelerating industry growth: SailPoint, Qualys, SentinelOne, Tenable, Palo Alto Networks and Check Point Software Technologies.
Check Point Software Technologies, the most profitable stock of the six in 2025, is up 19% since January. At the same time, Tenable, SentinelOne and SailPoint are still down. According to FactSet, Wall Street analysts are neutral on Qualys alone. The consensus recommendation for the other five companies is Buy (Overweight).
This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor