The FBI is putting its attention on the urgent issues arising from the swift advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), with China posing the most significant concern, stated the agency’s top brass recently.
AI and China’s rising threat
In an address at the FBI Atlanta Cyber Threat Summit, held at the Georgia Tech Research Institute Conference Center, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Assistant Director of Cyber Division, Bryan Vorndran, underscored the mounting cyber threats facing the U.S. on a global scale. However, China, with its potential to militarize data using AI, is a prominent concern.
Wray painted a picture of China as an “unparalleled” rival, boasting a hacking initiative larger than “all other major nations combined.” Combining the vast amounts of personal and corporate data pilfered by China with AI’s capabilities could lead to dire consequences, he warned.
AI will empower threat perpetrators to craft increasingly potent, refined, adaptable, and expansive capacities in a short span. The situation is even more precarious considering China, who, with its history of data theft, can utilize the stolen data to train AI models.
Advancing cyber threats and protective measures
Vorndran provided an overview of adversarial machine learning (AML) attacks that target the fundamental data and systems of machine learning models. The FBI is sharply focusing on these attack forms, particularly those that could lead to catastrophic outcomes.
While sophisticated AML attacks such as data poisoning are primarily confined to research literature at the moment, their potential to spread as AI adoption increases in public and private sectors is a legitimate concern. This situation could exponentially elevate the potential physical and financial implications of a successful strike.
Indeed, the FBI, recognizing the critical role of AI, is taking proactive measures to understand the technology and its potential consequences. The Bureau is aligning its resources and establishing collaborations with the intelligence community and private sector partners to comprehensively navigate the terrain of AI and its associated threats.
AI and National Security
The rapidly growing security concerns stemming from AI are also a top priority for the White House officials. Recently, leading AI tech companies made voluntary pledges to prioritize safety and security during the technology’s development.
Furthermore, Anne Neuberger, a White House cybersecurity and emerging technology official, revealed that defensive cybersecurity briefings have been conducted for top AI firms regarding their data models. This step is especially important as these companies transition from open source models and aim to limit access.
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