An AI-infused world needs matching cybersecurity

Relevance: GS Paper III

Why in News?

Last year, a chilling incident in the U.S. grabbed national attention and stirred significant concern in the Senate about the capabilities of artificial intelligence. A frantic mother received a call from alleged kidnappers claiming to have abducted her daughter. The voices of the "kidnappers" and her daughter were fabricated using generative AI by hackers attempting to extort money. This episode vividly highlighted the potential misuse of AI technologies and ignited discussions on the reality-distorting effects of generative AI.

Rising Cyber threats:

• A staggering 1,265% increase in phishing incidents and a 967% rise in credential phishing have been reported since the fourth quarter of 2022, driven by malicious uses of AI.
• According to a study by Deep Instinct, about 75% of professionals reported an increase in cyberattacks in the past year alone, with 85% attributing this rise to the exploitation of generative AI.
• Several cybersecurity conglomerates have recently identified complex hacker groups using generative AI solutions, raising the alarm. AI models are being leveraged to translate and identify coding errors to maximise the impact of cyberattacks.
• This surge underscores a significant shift in the landscape of cybersecurity, demanding heightened vigilance and adaptive measures from both individuals and organisations.
• More than ever, developing solutions through collaborative avenues to safeguard confidential information, identities, and even human rights becomes imperative.

Economic benefits vis-a-vis Privacy concerns:

• With the generative AI industry projected to increase global GDP by as much as $7 to $10 trillion, the development of generative AI solutions (such as ChatGPT in November 2022) has spurred a vicious cycle of advantages and disadvantages.
• The integration of generative AI into sectors like education, healthcare, banking, and manufacturing has revolutionised operational paradigms but also escalated the spectrum of cyber risks.
• While generative AI has significantly impacted productivity across the industrial realm, with 70% of professionals reporting increased productivity, increasing manipulation via generative AI (specifically over the past couple of years) has resulted in the spiralling vulnerability of organisations to attacks, with most organisations citing undetectable phishing attacks (37%), an increase in the volume of attacks (33%), and growing privacy concerns (39%) as the biggest challenges.
• As generative AI continues to mature, newer, more complex threats have arisen. Through cognitive behavioural manipulation, critically dangerous incidents have surfaced, with voice-activation toys and gadgets that encourage dangerous behaviours in children and/or pose a grave threat to one’s privacy and security.
• Simultaneously, remote and real-time biometric identification systems (such as facial recognition) have further jeopardised the right to privacy and massively endangered individuals on several occasions recently.

Bletchley Declaration: 

• The recent Bletchley Declaration, signed at the AI Safety Summit by countries including China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States, represents a global commitment to understanding and mitigating the harms posed by AI.
• With multifaceted cyberattacks on the rise, robust initiatives have become necessary. While stringent ethical and legislative frameworks are underway to combat growing cybercrimes due to AI, loopholes and a lack of industrial understanding/comprehension in regulating generative AI persist.

Way forward:

• Strengthening defences through policy:

• • At the institutional level, stern policy-led efforts are pivotal to bolstering the stance against increasing challenges via solutions such as enhancing the stance for watermarking to identify AI-generated content.

• • • This could aid in reducing cyber threats from AI-generated content, warning consumers to take appropriate actions.

• • Further, collaborative efforts are paramount to harbour a sense of security, enabling individuals and organisations to further empower communities to safeguard their personal interests and identities.

• Fostering digital awareness:

• • At the corporate level, greater emphasis is required to accommodate digital awareness via occupational media and digital literacy training sessions, fostering robust digital fluency in the workspace while identifying and tackling gaps in digital knowledge among employees.

• • • This could further equip the workforce to efficiently navigate the digital landscape, identify credibility, and verify the sources for authentication.

• • Further, the role of non-governmental organisations and other outreach organisations that introduce individuals to the wonders of the digital world and simultaneously equip them with the essential tools of cyber literacy is crucial.
  • By fostering a digitally savvy citizenry from the ground up, we can build a more robust defence against the evolving threats in this AI-driven digital landscape.

Conclusion:

While generative AI continues to transform industries and enhance productivity, its dual potential for innovation and risk necessitates robust initiatives, stringent regulations, and collaborative efforts to protect against its darker implications. The journey toward harnessing AI's full potential while safeguarding privacy and security is complex but crucial for a sustainable digital future.