AI-Driven Cybersecurity: Emerging Threats and Defensive Strategies with Focus on College Youth in Delhi

Sažetak

The accelerating integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into digital infrastructures has reshaped the cybersecurity landscape, introducing both unprecedented opportunities and complex vulnerabilities. In Delhi, where youth and institutions increasingly depend on digital platforms, the risks posed by AI-driven threats are particularly pronounced. Emerging challenges such as deepfakes, prompt injection attacks, phishing schemes, scholarship scams, and institutional breaches highlight the evolving sophistication of malicious actors. The proliferation of spam calls and cyberfrauds further undermines trust in communication systems, exposing individuals to financial loss and psychological distress. At the same time, AI is being leveraged as a defensive tool, enabling proactive detection, anomaly monitoring, and real-time mitigation of cyber risks. Local initiatives in Delhi—including awareness campaigns, student-led programs, and curriculum integration—demonstrate the importance of fostering digital resilience among young populations. This paper critically examines the dual role of AI as both a driver of new threats and a cornerstone of modern defenses, emphasizing the need for collaborative strategies that unite technology, policy, and education to safeguard the digital future.