The Federal Cyber AI IQ Test November 14, 2017 reports:
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Most Powerful Applications:
- 90% of Feds say AI could help prepare agencies for real-world cyber attack scenarios and 87% say it would improve the efficiency of the Federal cyber security workforce
- 91% say their agency could utilize AI to monitor human activity and deter insider threats, including detecting suspicious elements and large amounts of data being downloaded, and analyzing risky user behavior
(emphasis in original)
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One sure conclusion from this report, 90% of Feds don’t know AIs mistake turtles for rifles, 90% of the time. The adversarial example literature is full of such cases and getting more robust by the day.
The trap federal IT managers have fallen into is a familiar one. To solve an entirely human problem, a shortage of qualified labor, they want mechanize the required task, even if it means a lower qualify end result. Human problems are solved poorly, if at all, by mechanized solutions.
Opposed by lowest common denominator AI systems, hackers will be all but running the mints as cybersecurity AI systems spread across the federal government. “Ghost” federal installations will appear on agency records for confirmation of FedEx/UPS shipments. The possibilities are endless.
If you are a state or local government or even a federal IT manager, letting hackers run wild isn’t a foregone conclusion.
You could pattern your compensation packages after West Coast start-ups, along with similar perks. Expensive but do you want an OMB type data leak on your record?