Today, artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining popularity as never before. From OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft Sydney, to image generation tools such as Dall-E and Midjourney, AI technology is everywhere these days. Cybersecurity is no exception. Cybersecurity professionals often find themselves asked, “What is the intersection between AI and cybersecurity?”
The truth is, it won’t happen overnight. AI will affect cybersecurity in the short-term, but the long-term impact is likely to be much greater. After all, when compared to other advances in computer technology, AI holds incredible potential.
Since its beginnings fifty years ago, machine learning (ML) continues to evolve. Most notably, AI has been successful in crafting software to beat a world champion chess player, as well as in creating chatbots which come close to passing the difficult Turing test. In both cases, AI has proven particularly strong in quantitative tasks—interpreting data quickly and accurately.
An example of this phenomenon can be found with AI code-creation accelerators like Copilot. Software engineers can benefit greatly by utilizing AI to help streamline development and make the process faster. Unsurprisingly, there is also the potential downside—namely, data leakage that could reveal intellectual property and cause vulnerabilities.
Furthermore, although AI has great potential to assist humans in making cybersecurity tasks more efficient and effective, it is also an avenue for potential cybercrime. AI-based ChatGPT has the ability to impersonate humans on a large scale, making it easier for attackers to target individuals or organizations in a more organized manner than before.
In response, AI-based tools will be used to identify and report suspicious activities or detect fraudulent activities, as well as to protect users from potential attacks. Deep learning classifiers are already being deployed for fraud detection, and AI-powered image detectors can detect faked images.
These developments stand to benefit both users and tech experts. Automating tedious tasks frees the human spirit, pushing innovation to the next level. Plus, AI enables humans to assess data at a scale and with an accuracy that would otherwise be impossible.
In the future, AI will be used to accelerate and enable humans to take more control over the security of their data. AI will focus on providing humans with insights based on analytics and threat intelligence, while humans specialize in making decisions, applying policies and remaining flexible with the ever-changing cyber threat landscape.
Today, AI is still in its infancy, but the potential to improve cybersecurity through AI is limitless. This July 11-12, top executives are gathering in San Francisco to share how leaders are successfully integrating and optimizing AI investments for success.
The company mentioned in this article is Microsoft, a multinational technology company founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Microsoft specializes in computer software, electronics, and services, and is widely known for its Windows operating system and Office software suite.
The person mentioned in this article is Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975. After leaving Microsoft in 1983, Allen went on to found Vulcan Inc., The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, and several other businesses, as well as donate millions of dollars to charity. He passed away in 2018, but his philanthropic legacy lives on.
