AI and cybersecurity, both extremely popular topics in today’s world, were enough to fill the hall of AI Weekend, where the audience diligently followed today’s lecture.
Cyberattacks are becoming more frequent, including attacks on industrial systems such as power grids and ransomware attacks. These attacks can cause significant operational disruptions and financial losses, warns Evanna Hu, CEO of Omelas, a company specializing in detecting digital influence operations using artificial intelligence. In her presentation titled „AI and cybersecurity: Expanding the digital battlefield“ she discussed the types and intentions of hacker attacks and how artificial intelligence can aid both the good and the bad guys.
“As AI continues advancing, it’s going to be used for good and bad. In general, the use of AI in cybersecurity has resulted in further operational disruptions, financial losses, and reputational damages. And while the newest developments in AI has made the jobs of these hackers easier, AI has not really changed the intent of these bad actors. I think it’s important to remember that AI is just a tool that we use at our disposal, which is great news for us in the audience because it means that we can fight back“, emphasizes Hu.
Hu particularly stressed that today, unfortunately, it’s not a question of whether we will be attacked, but when. “It’s 100% sure that we’re going to get attacked, or that we accidentally compromise ourselves somewhere in a digital environment. The threat landscape has changed. The attack surface has multiplied for individuals, but also for organizations“, adds Hu.
So, how do we protect ourselves?
“Do three things to prevent the majority of attacks. One is VPN, two, encryption, and three, password managers“, says Hu, adding that AI can be used for detecting disinformation, anomalies in organizations’ IT systems, developing new 3D secure operational platforms, and much more.
Hu concludes that the future is promising, but we need to fight and adds that every individual and organization should have a plan in place in case an attack really happens.
