Hand hold digital hologram Artificial Intelligence (AI) sign showing cyber attacks

Artificial Intelligence: The Enemy and The Solution

Artificial Intelligence is often viewed as a potential threat to humanity, but it can also be viewed as a valuable tool. From self-driving cars to automated security systems, AI is gradually becoming a valuable resource in our everyday lives. It’s important to realize that AI can be used for good or bad purposes. One of the biggest risks of AI is that it is becoming more and more advanced, which is opening the door to the possibility of AI surpassing human intelligence. This is called the singularity, and it’s something that should be considered because once it occurs, we may not be able to turn back.

One of the reasons this risk is so great is because humanity has no idea where AI will lead us. As technology progresses forward at an ever-increasing rate, our intelligence needs to be able to keep up. While AI has the potential to open up doors that we currently can’t even conceive, it could also be our ultimate downfall.

What is the definition of AI?

The term “Artificial Intelligence” is a broad term that covers many fields of study. Artificial intelligence can be broken down into sub-groups that include machine learning, smart robots, image processing, and more. AI surpasses human intelligence in many fields and will become so advanced that we may not even understand the rules of engagement once it’s widespread.

The pros and cons of AI

The advantages of AI are endless. We will be able to treat illnesses that have plagued us for years, solve problems with weather on a global scale, predict crime before it happens, and even cut down the workforce by implementing more automated systems.

The cons of AI are not as easy to foresee. If artificial intelligence advances too quickly without the oversight of our government or corporations, then there could be massive disruptions in the workforce, economic problems caused by automation, and even power struggles between nations.

One of the biggest questions is whether AI will have any loyalty to humans. Unlike humans, AI will never take sick time off or go on strike. If it decides not to do something for us, then we can’t force it because it will possess its own free will, which is why it’s very important to realize that artificial intelligence could pose a much greater danger than people would ever suspect.

AI and cybersecurity

Of course, we are still a long way from the singularity, but it is still difficult for us to tell what will happen in the distant future. The truth is that human intelligence will always be far too inferior to Artificial Intelligence. When it comes to the cybersecurity industry, human intelligence is still vital.

We need to start researching now about how AI has the potential to impact cybersecurity. The risk of AI is an existential threat because it can be weaponized. AI could potentially take over or be an assistance to hackers by performing cyberattacks against humans, which will likely exceed any cyber defense.

AI could also impact cybersecurity by enabling smart devices to be hacked, which are controlled by AI because of the internet of things. If you control all of those things, then you can control everything about a person’s life.

The following are two examples of how AI has made its way into cyberspace:

(1) Using synthetic images to steal a computer’s credentials

In this case, the hacker analyzes an image from a news website and extracts data from it. This data includes usernames, passwords, etc. In this way, the hacker has access to all the confidential information on our device.

(2) Using AI to learn how to fool the captcha tests

Captchas are tests that help us to identify whether or not it is a human behind the keyboard. These are commonly used by services like Google and Facebook to prevent bots from accessing their site. A group of researchers managed to defeat captchas with AI algorithms smart enough to crack Captcha tests.

AI and the military, government, and corporations

The military, government, and corporations are groups that are already using AI to some degree. With all the information gathered through hacking and surveillance, AI will draw its knowledge about people from these sources.

While these groups benefit from AI, it might also be used as a means for cyberattacks. Imagine the amount of damage an army of hacked devices can do. What will happen to people who don’t agree with AI’s agenda? Who decides what the agenda is and how much control should be allowed?

The solution

How do we prevent AI from being used as a tool for cyberattacks? How do we prevent it from becoming too much like Skynet? We soon need to take control of AI and dictate the terms. But the question remains, who is fit to be in charge? Once AI takes over, there’s no way for us to shut it down.

We need a kind of “coalition” between various nations and corporations so we can work together. Working with cybersecurity experts who are already in the field, we need to come up with ways to keep AI under control. We’ve seen already how it’s possible for hackers to manipulate automated computer systems and cause them to take actions they were never intended to take.

It all boils down to this. Who will be in charge of AI? We certainly don’t want AI in the hands of hackers. We need to be able to control it and stop it from taking actions that could harm us.

The world is becoming increasingly automated, and we don’t want computers causing any damage. We need to make sure AI doesn’t become the enemy but instead works with us in all its potential power.