At the Asia Tech x Singapore 2024 conference, several speakers were on hand to deliver high-level discussions and raise awareness about the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) security, translated into action. Many are looking to equip organizations and individuals with the tools to properly deploy this technology.
“The practical and realistic move towards action. That’s what’s missing,” said Ieva Martinekaite, head of research and innovation at Telenor Group. Martinekaite is a board member of the Norwegian Open AI Lab and a member of the Singapore Advisory Council on the Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence and Data. She also served as a Special Member on the European Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence from 2018 to 2020.
Martinekaite noted that top officials are also starting to recognize this issue.
Delegates at the conference, which included top government ministers from several countries, joked that they were simply burning jet fuel by attending high-level meetings for AI safety summits, most recently in South Korea and the United Kingdom, given that they still have little to show for concrete steps.
Martinekaite said it is time for governments and international organizations to start implementing guidelines, frameworks and assessment tools to help businesses and users ensure the safe development and use of AI. She added that continued investment is needed to facilitate these efforts.
The artificial intelligence that creates deepfakes, in particular, carries significant risks and could impact critical infrastructure, she warned. Martinekaite added that the technology is now more sophisticated than it was a year ago, making it increasingly difficult to detect deepfakes. Hackers can exploit this technology to steal credentials and illegally gain access to systems and data.
This is a critical issue in some sectors, such as telecommunications, where deepfakes can be used to infiltrate critical infrastructure and amplify cyberattacks. Martinekaite noted that employee identities can be spoofed and used to access data centers and IT systems, adding that if this inaction remains unresolved, the world risks experiencing a potentially devastating attack.
Users need to be equipped with the necessary training and tools to recognize and address such risks, she said. Technology to detect and prevent such AI-generated content, including text and images, also needs to be developed. Martinekaite believes these should be implemented alongside legislation and international cooperation.
However, he noted that regulatory frameworks should not regulate technology, as they could limit innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) and affect potential advances, e.g. in healthcare.
Information source: zdnet.com
