The AI Financial Threat: Will The Next Crisis Accelerate Digital ID?

The AI Financial Threat: Will The Next Crisis Accelerate Digital ID?

 PNW STAFF

For years, the greatest fears surrounding artificial intelligence have centered on jobs, misinformation and machines eventually becoming too powerful for humans to control. Now one of the world's most important financial watchdogs is warning about another threat that could hit much closer to home: AI could become a danger to the stability of the global financial system itself.

Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England and chairman of the Financial Stability Board, issued the warning in a letter to G20 finance ministers and central bank governors ahead of meetings in Asheville, North Carolina. The FSB coordinates financial regulators across the world's major economies, making the language particularly noteworthy.

"For the financial system, the most immediate concern is the potential impact of frontier AI on cyber risk," Bailey warned.

These aren't hypothetical concerns about what artificial intelligence might be capable of decades from now. Bailey says frontier AI models are already demonstrating increasingly sophisticated autonomy, problem-solving abilities and threat capabilities, potentially changing the "speed, scale and economics" of cyberattacks.

That should get everyone's attention.

Cybersecurity has always been a contest between attackers looking for vulnerabilities and defenders trying to close them. But increasingly capable AI could fundamentally change that contest.

Imagine an AI system probing thousands of possible weaknesses at machine speed, discovering vulnerabilities humans haven't noticed and adapting when defenders attempt to close them. A successful attack might not simply affect one bank either. Modern finance depends upon interconnected payment networks, cloud infrastructure, software vendors and other technology providers used by multiple institutions.

Bailey specifically warned regulators to consider scenarios involving simultaneous disruption across multiple firms or shared technology dependencies. He has previously called for stronger international coordination in testing frontier models because cyber systems cross national boundaries.

The FSB is taking the possibility seriously enough to emphasize the ability to restore critical systems and data from "bare metal" following a major cyber incident. In simple terms, institutions need to contemplate scenarios in which systems are damaged badly enough that they essentially have to rebuild them from the ground up.

This is no longer just about someone stealing a credit-card number.

It is about systemic resilience.

Imagine A Bank Run At Machine Speed

The next stage is where the danger becomes even more concerning.

Financial crises ultimately revolve around confidence. Once people believe their money may be inaccessible, rational behavior can quickly become panic.

Now combine a serious cyberattack with automated trading, instant banking, social media, AI-generated misinformation and millions of customers capable of moving money from their phones.

A convincing false report could spread within minutes. Trading algorithms could respond almost instantly. Depositors could begin transferring funds. Financial institutions could restrict services while attempting to determine what was real and what wasn't.

Instead of the old image of depositors standing outside a bank waiting to withdraw their savings, the next bank run could occur almost entirely inside computer networks.

And it could happen remarkably fast.

That possibility becomes even more troubling because Bailey's warning arrives while regulators are already concerned about other weaknesses. The FSB says stretched asset valuations, sovereign-debt vulnerabilities, private credit and increasing leverage could amplify a future market correction.

AI doesn't have to single-handedly destroy the financial system. It merely has to provide the spark that hits something already fragile.

Every Crisis Produces A Solution

For Christians watching the development of digital financial systems, however, there is another side of this story worth considering.

What happens after a major AI-driven financial crisis?

Governments rarely respond to systemic emergencies by demanding less oversight. They typically demand greater visibility, stronger security and more control.

And AI is creating a powerful argument for all three.

The problem begins with trust. Artificial intelligence can increasingly impersonate people, generate convincing communications, automate fraud and potentially penetrate computer systems. As distinguishing legitimate users from machines becomes more difficult, governments and financial institutions will inevitably look for stronger methods of proving identity.

That is where digital identity becomes extremely important.

The progression isn't difficult to imagine:

More capable AI creates more sophisticated fraud and cyberattacks. Greater fraud produces demands for stronger authentication. Stronger authentication accelerates biometric verification and digital identity. And once identity becomes deeply connected to financial transactions, governments and institutions gain unprecedented ability to verify, monitor and potentially control access to the digital economy.

None of this means policymakers created the AI threat in order to introduce digital identity. There is no evidence for such a claim.

But crises have a way of accelerating technologies and policies that were already under development.

Digital Money Meets Digital Identity

The same principle applies to digital money.

Central banks, governments and private financial institutions are already exploring CBDCs, tokenized deposits, stablecoins, instant-payment systems and other forms of increasingly digital financial infrastructure. Meanwhile, governments around the world are developing digital identity systems and stronger online verification requirements.

Now introduce an AI-driven crisis capable of disrupting banks or undermining confidence in existing financial infrastructure.

The political argument practically writes itself: the financial system needs to be safer, more traceable, more resilient and better able to distinguish legitimate transactions from malicious activity.

Each individual step can be presented as reasonable cybersecurity.

Yet Christians familiar with Revelation 13 cannot ignore where increasingly centralized control over identity and commerce could ultimately lead. Scripture describes a future system in which participation in economic life becomes conditional: people are unable to buy or sell without the required mark.

Digital ID is not the Mark of the Beast in and of itself. Neither is artificial intelligence, biometric authentication, or a central bank digital currency. However, all of these technologies may have a role to play in creating the infrastructure that could one day make such a system possible.

The infrastructure developing around us demonstrates something previous generations could scarcely have imagined: a world in which identity, money and permission to transact can technically be linked together on a massive scale.

Watch The Response To The Crisis

That may ultimately be the most important part of Bailey's warning.

The immediate story is that AI is becoming powerful enough for the chairman of the Financial Stability Board to warn the G20 that it could threaten financial stability. The bigger story may be what governments decide they need in order to protect us from that threat.

If a serious AI-driven financial disruption eventually arrives, watch carefully for the solutions offered afterward.

The next financial crisis may not simply change how banks protect their computers.

It could accelerate the transformation of how everyone proves who they are, accesses their money and participates in the digital economy.

Erdogan's Ottoman Dream Is Bringing Turkey And Israel Closer To War

Erdogan's Ottoman Dream Is Bringing Turkey And Israel Closer To War

 PNW STAFF

For years, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's declarations about Jerusalem could be dismissed as political theater--the inflammatory rhetoric of an Islamist leader seeking applause at home and influence across the Muslim world.

That explanation is becoming increasingly difficult to accept.

Turkey is no longer merely talking about restoring its influence across lands once controlled by the Ottoman Empire. The collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government has given Ankara an extraordinary opportunity to expand its political and military presence in Syria, bringing Turkish power closer to Israel at precisely the same time Turkish leaders are becoming more explicit about their ambitions concerning Jerusalem.

Israel appears to have noticed the danger. And increasingly, it appears prepared to use military force to stop it.

What is developing in Syria could therefore become much bigger than another disagreement between two Middle Eastern governments. Two of the region's strongest military powers are beginning to establish competing red lines in the same territory, while Erdogan's neo-Ottoman vision provides an ideological backdrop that makes the confrontation even more troubling.

Syria Changes Everything

For decades, Israel's primary concern in Syria was Iran.

Tehran used the Assad regime to move weapons, personnel and resources throughout the region, particularly to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel responded with an extensive campaign of airstrikes designed to prevent Iran from transforming Syria into another military front against the Jewish state.

But Assad is gone, Iran's position has been dramatically weakened, and someone is moving into the vacuum.

Turkey.

Erdogan played an important role in supporting the forces that ultimately brought down Assad, and Ankara now enjoys considerable influence with Syria's new Islamist leadership. Turkish forces already control significant territory in northern Syria, while Ankara has reportedly explored expanding its presence at Syrian military facilities previously associated with Assad's Iranian and Russian allies.

For Israel, that presents an entirely new strategic problem.

Turkey is not Iran. It is a NATO member with one of the largest militaries in the region, a sophisticated defense industry, advanced aircraft, drones and missiles, and a geographic position that allows it to project significant power into Syria.

Israel spent years making certain Iran could not establish a permanent military infrastructure on its northern frontier. There is little reason to believe Jerusalem would suddenly accept Turkey doing something similar.

Recent events suggest it won't.

Israel Draws A Red Line

On August 18, Israel carried out eight airstrikes against the Abu al-Duhur airbase near Idlib, targeting its runway and storage facilities.

What makes the attack particularly significant is what reportedly happened immediately beforehand.

A Turkish delegation had visited the facility and was apparently assessing whether the base could be used by Turkish forces. Hours later, Israeli aircraft struck it.

The message was difficult to miss.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu subsequently said the purpose of the attack was to prevent Turkish military forces from deploying there, arguing that Syria was approaching a breach of previously established security understandings.

Israel therefore appears to be establishing a very clear principle: Assad may be gone, but Syria will not simply become somebody else's military platform against Israel.

For years that warning was directed primarily at Tehran.

Increasingly, it may be directed at Ankara.

That creates a potentially dangerous situation because neither Israel nor Turkey necessarily needs to desire a war for one eventually to occur. If Turkey continues expanding its military footprint while Israel continues attacking facilities intended to accommodate Turkish forces, eventually Israeli bombs could kill Turkish personnel.

At that point, a confrontation between Israel and Turkey would become considerably more difficult to contain.

Erdogan's Ottoman Dream

This military competition cannot be separated entirely from Erdogan's larger vision for Turkey.

Erdogan has spent years cultivating nostalgia for the Ottoman Empire and presenting Turkey as a natural leader of the Muslim world. Under his leadership, Ankara has become increasingly assertive across territories that were once governed from Istanbul.

Syria fits perfectly into that worldview.

So does Jerusalem.

Erdogan has previously declared that "Jerusalem is ours," while repeatedly portraying Turkey as a defender of the Palestinian cause and maintaining close relations with Hamas. His anti-Israel rhetoric has intensified dramatically during periods of conflict.

But perhaps even more revealing are recent statements from other Turkish officials.

Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi reportedly spoke of eventually witnessing the "liberation" of Jerusalem and returning it to Turkish hands. In doing so, he reportedly connected Jerusalem with Damascus, Aleppo and other territories where Turkey believes its influence has been restored.

That is what makes the current situation so significant.

The rhetoric is beginning to intersect with geography.

Turkey already possesses enormous influence in northern Syria. Assad has fallen. A Turkey-friendly Islamist government controls Damascus. Ankara is exploring additional military facilities deeper inside the country.

And Israel is bombing some of those facilities to prevent Turkey from moving in.

From Damascus to Jerusalem, the geopolitical map is shifting.

This Is Bigger Than Erdogan

It would also be a mistake to assume neo-Ottoman thinking disappears whenever Erdogan eventually leaves office.

Even some Turkish political figures who have opposed Erdogan have spoken about expanding Turkey's presence throughout the former Ottoman sphere. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, a major opposition figure who previously challenged Erdogan for the presidency, has spoken of Turkey developing its identity throughout former Ottoman territories and has even invoked the prospect of eventually praying in Jerusalem.

That suggests something deeper is happening within Turkish political culture.

Turkey is rediscovering the idea of itself not merely as another nation-state, but as the historical center of a much larger region.

The problem is that another nation now occupies the city that represented one of the Ottoman Empire's most important possessions for four centuries.

Israel.

And Israel has absolutely no intention of surrendering Jerusalem.

Jerusalem Is The Prize

For students of Bible prophecy, this is where developments become particularly noteworthy.

Scripture repeatedly places Jerusalem at the center of future international conflict.

Zechariah describes a time when Jerusalem becomes "a burdensome stone for all people." Other prophetic passages similarly describe nations becoming consumed with the fate of Israel and Jerusalem.

Thousands of years after those words were written, Jerusalem remains one of the most contested pieces of territory on earth.

Iranian leaders have dreamed of Israel's destruction. Hamas identifies Jerusalem as central to its struggle. Islamist movements throughout the region invoke Jerusalem constantly.

And now leaders of Turkey--a powerful nation that ruled Jerusalem for approximately four centuries--are increasingly speaking about the city in terms of historical possession, religious destiny and eventual liberation.

History repeatedly demonstrates that political rhetoric becomes considerably more important when leaders acquire the military and geographical means to pursue it.

That is what has changed in Syria.

Erdogan's Ottoman ambitions once sounded distant from Israel's borders. The fall of Assad has suddenly brought Turkish influence much farther south, while Israel has demonstrated that there are limits to how far it intends to allow that influence to expand.

The question now is what happens when those two visions collide.

Turkey sees an opportunity to reclaim its historic role as the dominant power across much of the former Ottoman world.

Israel sees an increasingly hostile Islamist power attempting to establish itself in territory directly connected to its northern security environment.

And looming behind both visions is the same city that has repeatedly stood at the center of history.

Jerusalem.

The Ottoman Empire disappeared more than a century ago. But the dream of Turkish power over its former territories clearly did not disappear with it.

And Israel may now be standing directly in the path of its return.

RISE OF THE DICTATORS: UNFOLDING THE MYSTERY OF THE 10 KINGS

THE RISE OF THE DICTATORS: UNFOLDING THE MYSTERY OF THE 10 KINGS

Video

The ten kings prophecy offers a framework for understanding global shifts today. Learn how current political structures align with historical texts. This analysis examines the intersection of modern global organizations and their potential role in biblical narratives. By evaluating current democratic processes alongside the rise of a centralized oligarchy, we look at how these developments parallel the concept of a final beast. This is intended for those tracking how current events might signal a transition toward the end times. We break down the visual evidence connecting contemporary political power to ancient warnings. You will gain a clearer perspective on the shifting geopolitical landscape and how these movements may influence the future. Whether you are studying theology or simply tracking international political trends, this breakdown provides a grounded look at the evidence.

'The Weaponization of ‘Disinformation’: Inside the UN Plan to Control Speech Online

Inside the UN Plan to Control Speech Online

ALEX NEWMAN

A powerful United Nations agency has unveiled a plan to regulate social media and online communication while clamping down on what it describes as “false information” and “conspiracy theories,” sparking alarm among free-speech advocates and top U.S. lawmakers.

The U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) outlined a series of “concrete measures which must be implemented by all stakeholders: governments, regulatory authorities, civil society, and the platforms themselves.” in a 59-page report released this month.

The approach includes the imposition of global policies, through institutions such as governments and businesses, that seek to stop the spread of various forms of speech while promoting objectives such as “cultural diversity” and “gender equality.”

In particular, the U.N. agency aims to create an “Internet of Trust” through a focus on what it calls “misinformation,” “disinformation,” “hate speech,” and “conspiracy theories.”

Examples of expression flagged to be stopped or restricted include concerns about elections, public health measures, and advocacy that could constitute “incitement to discrimination.”

Critics have warned that allegations of “disinformation” and “conspiracy theories” have increasingly been used by powerful forces in government and Big Tech to silence true information and even core political speech.

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Just this month, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee released a report blasting the “pseudoscience of disinformation.”

Among other concerns, the committee found that this “pseudoscience” has been “weaponized” by what lawmakers refer to as the “Censorship Industrial Complex,” the goal of which is to silence constitutionally protected political speech, mostly by conservatives.

“The pseudoscience of disinformation is now—and has always been—nothing more than a political ruse most frequently targeted at communities and individuals holding views contrary to the prevailing narratives,” states the congressional report, titled, “The Weaponization of ‘Disinformation’ Pseudo-Experts and Bureaucrats.”

Indeed, many of the policies called for by UNESCO have already been implemented by U.S.-based digital platforms, often at the behest of the Biden administration, the latest congressional report makes clear.

On Capitol Hill, lawmakers nevertheless expressed alarm about the UNESCO plan.

“I have repeatedly and publicly criticized the Biden administration’s misguided decision to rejoin UNESCO, putting U.S. taxpayers on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) told The Epoch Times regarding the social media plan.

Calling UNESCO a “deeply flawed entity,” Mr. McCaul said he’s especially concerned that the organization “promotes the interests of authoritarian regimes—including the Chinese Communist Party.”

Indeed, UNESCO, like many other U.N. agencies, includes multiple members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in its leadership ranks, such as Deputy Director-General Xing Qu.

While being marketed as a plan to uphold free expression, the new UNESCO regulatory regime calls for international censorship by “independent” regulators who are “shielded from political and economic interests.”

“National, regional, and global governance systems should be able to cooperate and share practices ... in addressing content that could be permissibly restricted under international human rights law and standards,” the report states.

Unlike the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits any governmental infringement on the right to free speech or free press, UNESCO points to various international “human rights” instruments that it says should determine what speech to restrict.

These agreements include the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which states that restricting freedom of expression must be provided for by law and must also serve a “legitimate aim.”

In a recent review of the United States, a U.N. human rights committee called for changes to the U.S. Constitution and demanded that the U.S. government do more to stop and punish “hate speech” to comply with the ICCPR.

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New scans push Turkey’s Noah’s Ark formation closer to proof

New scans push Turkey’s Noah’s Ark formation closer to proof

Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz

A boat-shaped formation in eastern Turkey has produced its most detailed underground readings in decades. Ground-penetrating radar equipment brought from the United States has detected multiple anomalies beneath the Durupinar formation in Ağrı province, including cavities and structures that intersect at right angles across several underground levels. Soil samples pulled from inside the formation have also shown carbon levels roughly 40 percent higher than samples taken outside it. Researchers say the combined data are pushing them toward answers that six decades of speculation have failed to produce.

The Sages treated the Genesis flood narrative as a record of real geography, not allegory, and the text itself supports that reading. After the water receded, “And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat” (Genesis 8:4). Genesis continues with the same precision: “And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen” (Genesis 8:5). These verses give factual clues to the Biblical account, citing months, days, and a named mountain range. That level of specificity is precisely what has kept researchers returning to the region for over sixty years, and it is what now sends them underground with radar equipment rather than simply photographing a hillside from the air.

The current excavation, led by archaeology professor Cenk Atilla of Sivas Cumhuriyet University, began fieldwork on June 28, 2026, near the Doğubayazıt district. Around 20 researchers and students from five countries have produced three-dimensional models of the formation, recorded GPS coordinates, and mapped the site before moving into underground surveys with radar systems also used by the U.S. Air Force.

“We tried to understand whether there are cavities, wood remains or other fragments underground that could have formed the shape of a ship,” Atilla told the Turkish newspaper Milliyet.

The scans identified what Atilla described as intersecting angular structures on multiple levels, converging toward the center of the formation. “The presence of anomalies and voids intersecting at a right angle raised the question of whether they could be part of a vessel,” he said. The team has begun collecting soil samples, with a target of roughly 1,000 total, to determine whether the elevated carbon readings point to organic material or decayed wood. “In the course of our studies, it has already been established that the quantity of carbon extracted from the inner part of the formation is 40 percent higher than from the outer,” Atilla said. “Already the current data daily raise[s] the probability that Noah’s Ark is here.”

What the Formation Is

The Durupinar formation was first identified from aerial photographs in 1959 by Turkish army mapping officer İlhan Durupınar. Seen from above, it traces the outline of a large vessel, tapered at one end with a long central body, and measures approximately 164 meters in length. Turkey placed the site under protection in 1987 as a cultural and natural asset, though the government has never officially designated it as the site of the ark.

The dimensional argument has always been central to the case for Durupinar. Genesis gives the ark’s measurements directly: “This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark shall be three hundred amot, its width fifty amot, and its height thirty amot” (Genesis 6:15). An amah (plural amot) is the Biblical cubit, roughly 45 centimeters. At that standard, 300 amotcomes to approximately 135 meters. Researchers working with the longer Egyptian royal cubit, about 52.4 centimeters, arrive at a figure closer to 157 meters, which lines up more closely with the measurements cited by the current research team. The comparison is suggestive, not conclusive, since ancient cubit standards varied and the formation’s own dimensions are measured differently depending on the source.

In 2019, a documentary team led by Cem Sertesen, who had spent 22 years searching for the ark, worked with computer engineer and archaeologist Andrew Jones and geophysicist John Larsen to scan beneath the formation using 3D imaging technology, sending electric signals underground through cables. “These are the actual images of the Noah’s Ark,” Sertesen told the Hurriyet Daily News. “They are neither fake nor simulation. They show the entire ship buried underground.” He added a caveat that has echoed through every subsequent phase of research: “It’s a ship, but it’s too early to call it Noah’s Ark. We have to do a lot of work.”

In 2021, a separate team conducted Electrical Resistivity Tomography, or ERT, surveys and reported finding what they described as a man-made boat structure beneath the ground.

A more formal academic study followed in December 2022, when a team from Istanbul Technical University, Andrew University and Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University collected 30 soil and rock samples from the site. Their analysis, led by researchers specializing in geophysics, chemistry and geoarchaeology, dated human activity in the region to between 5500 and 3000 BCE. Professor Faruk Kaya, involved in that research, was careful to separate the dating from the ark claim itself. “With the dating, it is not possible to say that the ship is here,” Kaya said. “Extensive research is required for this to emerge.” The three universities agreed to continue joint research in the years that followed.

Andrew Jones’s continued involvement is notable. He now leads the research group Noah’s Ark Scans, whose 2026 radar work, carried out with Dr. Khosrow Bakhtar’s BakhtarRadar imaging system, produced the volumetric images of the underground structures reported this year. The site has moved, step by step, from a single aerial photograph in 1959 to electric-signal imaging in 2019, ERT surveys in 2021, dated soil samples in 2022, and now a multi-level radar map paired with nearly a thousand planned soil samples in 2026.

Atilla’s team plans to move from radar mapping to targeted core drilling, which would allow physical samples and camera access to the cavities identified so far. Laboratory results on the current soil samples are expected within two to three months, with the full research program running through 2027.

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