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Will Artificial Intelligence Revolutionize Cybersecurity?

Posted on Jun 3, 2016 in Privacy, Blog by Michael L. Whitener

Criminal hackers have become frighteningly adept at breaking into computer systems, leaving cybersecurity experts and government officials looking for innovative ways to detect and stop hackers in their tracks. Artificial Intelligence seems to be a promising new way to detect and prevent cyberattacks.

So what is Artificial Intelligence? AI is the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages.

Major corporations and even government agencies are investing in AI technology for cybersecurity, believing that recent advancements could allow computers to outperform humans when it comes to many aspects of defending networks. Just this month, IBM announced plans for a cybersecurity specific version of their artificial intelligence platform Watson. They have already begun feeding Watson computer security data with the hope that all of this information on security vulnerabilities, spam, malware and more will help Watson become an expert adviser to security analysts.

It is estimated that by 2020, there will be 1.5 million cybersecurity jobs to be filled. This means that there could be a skills crisis in this area, and that is where companies such as IBM hope their AI technology will come into play – to fill the gap in the industry and to even provide a kind of “on the job training” to new analysts. According to IBM, the goal is not to replace humans in the process, but to refine machine-human interaction and create in effect “superhumans.”

AI technology can process large amounts of data that is simply impossible for people to process, bringing a greater level of efficiency and speed to the large quantities of information that people are attempting to organize and comprehend.

This technology also has the potential to not only process the data, but to analyze that data in order to develop insights and make recommendations.

What once seemed a technology limited to science fiction movies is now being utilized in many industries and shows great promise in the area of cybersecurity.

Michael Whitener is a partner at VLP Law Group. His legal practice focuses on two areas: (1) technology transactions, including software licensing and alliances, cloud computing, web hosting and outsourcing agreements; and (2) corporate compliance, particularly regarding data privacy and anti-corruption laws.

The VLP Speaks blog is made available for educational purposes only, to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice. By using this blog site, you understand and acknowledge that no attorney-client relationship is formed between you and VLP Law Group LLP, nor should any such relationship be implied. This blog should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.