Why AI Offers the Security Revolution We Desperately Need

When most people imagine artificial intelligence (AI), they think of human-like robots. Movies and television shows like “Battlestar Galactica,” “I, Robot,” “Blade Runner,” “Westworld” and even Spielberg’s “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” push too many people into this trap. The truth is that while AI could be applied to developing human-like cognition — and then placed in a bipedal android to fully mirror the human form — it isn’t how most AI developers envision utilizing the tech. In fact, it isn’t even amongst the top priorities.

It is possible for machines to learn without developing sentience, and devices’ ability to learn and adapt their behavior is exactly why AI can be so valuable in the digital age. If there is one perfect example of how useful AI can be, it is internet security: AI has the potential to eradicate malware entirely, so users can enjoy a threat-free computing experience.

However, because of how AI is portrayed in the media, most device users misunderstand how the technology could be applied in cases of security. To learn more about this powerful security potential, read on.

Explaining AI in Detail

Critical to understanding why AI will be useful in cyber security is understanding what AI actually is. Contrary to its popular depiction in the media, AI is not a bipedal robot with sentience; rather, it is the ability for machines to learn and adapt their behavior to new information, new environments or new requests. This ability to learn allows machines to perform human-like tasks, which makes it much faster, easier and cheaper to perform what would be exceedingly labor-intensive work.

AI works by combining huge amounts of data with fast processing and intelligent algorithms. The program then identifies patterns and discerns insights, even though it was not programmed explicitly to do so. In truth, there are dozens of methods, technologies and theories that fall under the broad umbrella of AI; some recognizable fields include:

• Machine learning. This is the bread and butter of AI because it is how AIs accumulate data, analyze it and make decisions.
• Neural networks. These are machine learning made of interconnected units that process information. Each unit requires multiple passes of the data to form a connection with another unit.
• Deep learning. This uses massive neural networks and many layers of processing units to handle vast quantities of complex data.
• Natural language processing. This is the ability for computers to analyze, understand and generate human language.
• Cognitive computing. This is the field of AI closest to what most people expect: human-like interaction with machines.

Already, the average tech user interacts with some form artificial intelligence on a daily basis, be it in autocomplete features of messaging apps or in recommended products lists on ecommerce websites. However, healthcare is coming to rely more on AI for making diagnoses, and manufacturing companies are integrating AI to better predict demand and increase factory efficiency. AI is beginning to bleed into every aspect of our current world — which brings us to security.

Understanding How AI Aids Security

Much of the trouble with modern cybersecurity efforts is that it is reactive rather than predictive. Security professionals cannot foresee exactly what malwares or attacks will emerge over the coming months and years; though they often correctly identify trends in threats, they cannot develop the prefect security solutions until those threats manifest as software or attack strategies. As a result, everyone must wait to see what hackers develop and unleash on the world before the right defenses can be erected.

With AI, that changes. Artificial intelligence fed with the history of malware and attack strategies might have a greater capacity for identifying what cyber crime will occur next; thus, these programs can create near-perfect cyber-defenses long before hackers are done writing their malicious code.

Already, some max security antivirus programs come equipped with echoes of AI. For instance, some of the best security suites use heuristics to track malware trends and tag suspicious files and code before malware has a chance to unpack and deploy on a device. Because AI is improving so rapidly, it isn’t unlikely that full-fledged AI with predictive capacities will be available to the public within the next year or two.

Comprehending the Risks of Security AI

Unfortunately, “the good guys” aren’t the only ones applying this powerful technology in the security sector. As AI becomes integrated into security programs, it is without doubt that black hat hackers and the like will also begin relying on AI to develop newer, craftier and generally more effective malware and attack methods. Security has always been an arms race between security firms and cyber criminals, but now it will be an exceedingly high-powered one.

Fortunately, by then much of the populace should be well-armed with at least rudimentary AI security. And even then, it is more likely that good security habits, like strong passwords, dual-factor authentication, system backups and similar actions, will still be the strongest way to deter attack.