Swedish regulator to audit banks' defenses against AI-driven cyber threats

Finansinspektionen will conduct a comprehensive assessment of Swedish banks, insurance companies and critical financial infrastructure providers to gauge their resilience against cyber attacks that may be facilitated by sophisticated AI agents. The move follows observations that several AI models can automate malicious activities, and Open AI recently paused training of its models pending stronger safety controls. Erik Wingstrand, chief of information technology supervision at FI, emphasized the need for firms to continuously update their defenses as AI risks evolve.

The regulator plans site inspections and will evaluate both immediate protective actions and future plans, questioning whether the industry is taking the AI threat seriously enough. Findings will inform how the sector complies with EU digital operational resilience requirements.