Cyber Security Threat Summary:
“The Biden-Harris Administration has taken a new step towards ensuring the responsible development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology by securing voluntary commitments from leading AI companies. As part of the new initiative, Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI have pledged to prioritize safety, security and trust in their AI systems. To protect Americans’ rights and safety, the companies have committed to several fundamental principles. They will conduct internal and external security testing of AI systems before release, with the help of independent experts, to guard against biosecurity, cybersecurity and broader societal risks” (Info Security Magazine, 2023).

As part of their commitment to securing AI systems, these companies will share information on managing AI risks with the industry, governments, civil society and academia, to foster collaboration and best practices. Their commitment also includes the investment into cybersecurity and insider threat safeguards to protect proprietary and unreleased model weights, releasing them only when intended and secure.

“To earn the public’s trust, the companies will also develop technical mechanisms like watermarking to indicate AI-generated content, reducing fraud risks. They will also report on AI systems’ capabilities, limitations, and appropriate and inappropriate use, covering security and societal risks, including fairness and bias” (Info Security Magazine, 2023).

Security Officer Comments:
Researchers at Coalfire say AI systems will require “thoughtful regulation, ethical development, collaboration, and advanced security practices.” As we move towards more powerful computer systems and technologies, we need to ensure that we are bolstering defensive cybersecurity practices, while minimizing it’s exploitation for malicious activities. Threat actors have already been using LLM technologies to assist with phishing email generation, malicious code writing, and more. Having effective regulations on these technologies will hopefully allow us to use and develop these technologies safely.

Suggested Correction(s):
“The Biden-Harris Administration said it is committed to ensuring America’s leadership in responsible AI innovation. Alongside developing an executive order, the administration plans to pursue bipartisan legislation to govern AI development safely. The administration is also engaging with international allies and partners to establish a robust global framework for AI governance” (Info Security Magazine, 2023).

Link(s):
https://www.whitehouse.gov/
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/us-secures-ai-commitments/