The Algorithm of Deception: Inside AI-Powered Social Engineering
Amamira Muhammad
BSides Seattle 2026 · Day 1 · Track 1
Amamira Muhammad, an IT specialist at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, delivered an accessible and engaging talk on how artificial intelligence is supercharging social engineering attacks. Drawing on real-world case studies, personal anecdotes from her undergraduate cybersecurity program at Towson University, and a practical defense framework she has been teaching at schools and colleges, Muhammad made the case that AI-powered deception represents a qualitative leap in social engineering capability.
AI review
An awareness-level talk on AI-powered social engineering that covers familiar territory without introducing novel techniques, tools, or research. The case studies are drawn from public news articles, the psychological framework is well-established, and the defensive recommendations are standard hygiene. Muhammad is an engaging presenter with genuine passion for the topic, but there is no original technical contribution here for an experienced practitioner.