Cyber Threats and National Security: The Use and Abuse of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

The current discussions surrounding AI has often focused on its beneficial aspects such as its positive use in various sectors. AI has also been discussed from a science fiction perspective in which AI operates at will. While the dark side of AI has also been discussed to some extent, this discussion has often centered on the privacy concerns or ethical implications of AI. However, a new disturbing phenomenon concerning the dark side of AI is developing. That is an emergence of a rise in AI-facilitated cyberattacks, the discussion of which is the missing piece in the existing literature. In view of this, this chapter aims to provide an analysis of the ways in which AI can be maliciously used to carry out AI-enabled cyberattacks. Accordingly, the chapter also offers a number of recommendations to mitigate the risks associated with the adversarial use of AI. This chapter is intended to provide a reference point for experts and forward-thinking analysts at a time when the debate over how we might address the many security challenges that AI poses has become the most serious concern for law enforcement and intelligence agencies as well as other security experts.