Hackers will have the opportunity to compete for millions of dollars in prizes by utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to safeguard critical U.S. infrastructure from cybersecurity threats. The Biden administration recently announced the launch of the AI Cyber Challenge, which carries a prize fund of nearly $20 million. Leading AI companies, including Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI, will collaborate and make their technologies available for the competition. The challenge was revealed at the Black Hat USA hacking conference in Las Vegas.
The competition will comprise a qualifying event scheduled for the spring. The top-scoring 20 teams from this event will advance to the semifinals at DEF CON 2024, a renowned cybersecurity conference. Among these teams, up to five winners will receive $2 million each and proceed to the final stage at DEF CON 2025. Furthermore, the top three teams will be eligible for additional prizes, with the possibility of winning $4 million for the team that best secures vital software, according to a press release.
To promote widespread usage, competitors will be required to open source their systems. The Linux Foundation’s Open Source Security Foundation is serving as an advisor for the challenge. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is overseeing the competition, has also pledged to offer up to $1 million to seven small businesses looking to participate, in order to encourage a diverse range of participants.
In using a hacking competition to promote innovation, the government is not treading new ground. In 2014, DARPA launched the Cyber Grand Challenge, which aimed to develop an open-source automatic defense system capable of protecting computers from cyberattacks. This two-year challenge follows a similar structure.
The government believes that AI holds great promise in fortifying critical U.S. systems. We have to keep defense one step ahead. And AI offers a very promising approach for that, stated Perri Adams, program manager at DARPA’s Information Innovation Office. Adams, during a press call, emphasized that the competition provides an opportunity for experts in cybersecurity and AI to tap into an array of cross-company resources, delivering unprecedented results.
This competition signifies a proactive stride towards addressing cybersecurity risks that could potentially compromise critical U.S. systems. By leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and incentivizing ethical hacking, the Biden administration aims to enhance the security of vital infrastructure and foster technological advancements in the realm of cybersecurity.
