EPISODE · Aug 20, 2026 · 20 MIN
80: “Dark Side of the Boom” Author Patrick Coughlin on AI Scams
from Washington AI Network with Tammy Haddad · host Washington AI Network
On this episode of the Washington AI Network podcast, host Tammy Haddad talks with Savi Security co-founder and CEO Patrick Coughlin, author of “Dark Side of the Boom: How Scammers Hijack the AI Revolution,” about how AI has made sophisticated, personalized scams cheap enough to target ordinary families, not just high-value government or corporate victims. They dig into why digital fraud — now estimated at nearly $200 billion in annual U.S. losses — has become the fastest-growing crime in the country, why Meta reportedly earns 10% of its revenue from fraudulent advertisers, and why Coughlin thinks federal "know your customer" rules for AI access, not a state-by-state patchwork, are the fix Washington keeps avoiding.
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What this episode covers
AI didn't just change how we work — it changed how we get scammed. Savi Security co-founder and CEO Patrick Coughlin's mother nearly fell for an AI voice-cloning "kidnapping" scam targeting his sister. That call led to him writing the book, "Dark Side of the Boom.” Host Tammy Haddad talks with Coughlin about why digital fraud is now the fastest-growing crime in America, and what Washington isn't doing about it.
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80: “Dark Side of the Boom” Author Patrick Coughlin on AI Scams
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