Cyber expert reflects on duality of AI, says it can help fight cybercrime but also increase threat

Speaking with ANI at the Carnegie 9th Global Tech Summit, Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar "AI can help do both, help cyber experts in fighting cybercrime and AI can also be used to increase the threat. It's a game of cat and mouse. AI can be useful to automate cyber defence but at the same time, we can see ransomware based on AI tools, we see disinformation and deep fakes. Luckily there's also the technology to detect AI. We need to invest more to make sure we are safe."

Earlier at the summit, policymakers, diplomats, and tech leaders highlighted the need for international cooperation, regulatory frameworks, and public trust to ensure the safe and secure development of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The experts also warned of AI's role in escalating cyberattacks, calling for collective action.

On being asked about what countries are doing about AI threats, Ernst Noorman, Ambassador at Large for Cyber Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands, said, "We believe in the enormous potential of AI but indeed, it comes with threats, like all new technologies... A year ago, we agreed on the first AI resolution at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Twenty countries supported the resolution, and it was adopted by general consensus to work on a secure, safe and trustworthy AI."

He added, "We see the Brussels effect with the (EU) AI Act. We see many countries looking at the AI Act and thinking about how it can be adopted. Even in India, everyone agrees we need to work on guardrails for safe and secure AI, to create trust among our citizens, because I think that if you have trust in the system, then you will adopt it."

Maria Adebahr, Director for Cyber Foreign and Security Policy, Federal Foreign Office, Germany said that the growing challenge of cyberthreats must be addressed at UN level.

"AI will lead to an increase in cyberattacks. In the absence of regulations, this growing challenge must be addressed by individual states, coalitions of states, and at the level of the UN," Adebahr said.

Sachin Kakkar, Site Lead, Privacy, Safety, and Security, Google India, highlighted how AI can ease the burden on security engineers and said, "We believe that AI is going to take away the human toil that a security engineer faces. What remains is the complex task, which humans will do. And we can reorient the work force towards that, therefore tilting the balance in favour of the defender."

The Global Technology Summit, the flagship dialogue on geo-technology, is co-hosted by the External Affairs Ministry.