AI:
In the first part of KQED
interview, the way artificial intelligence was being portrayed and explained
was as a way to help robots function in their environment. It was being used as a way to help robots
learn how to perform tasks that would help out humans with everyday tasks. This is an important part but I think that
the machine learning algorithms and programs that they describe in the second
part of the interview are probably the more important and exciting part of
artificial intelligence. Machine
learning is almost the same as how a human child learns. The computer is presented with many examples,
for example a giraffe in the video, and from the examples it learns how to recognize
that thing in a larger set of data, such as a giraffe in a picture. This interview also interviews an engineer
from IBM who talks about the importance of machine learning, which was critical
in IBM’s supercomputer Watson, who competed and won on Jeopardy against the
best human players in the world. The
real benefit of machine learning is the way that a computer can sift through
immense amounts of data looking for patterns that it can recognize and act on
that data much faster than any human would be able to.
Computer:
As important and
integral to modern life as computers are, it’s amazing how lax the security is
for many of them. According to the
report prepared by Fire Eye, a cyber-security consulting firm, 97% of the
companies which they monitored during the course of their testing had their
security software breached, and the typical organization was attacked by some
sort of threat more than once per week. Since
this study only covered organizations, who are supposed to have the best
security and professionals who help minimize their risk, what does that say
about the average consumer’s computer?
More importantly, as more and more legal and financial transactions are
brought online, how safe can anyone’s data be?
It is important to recognize that in order to protect ourselves, we need
to invest more in security to keep our data private, and keep strangers out of
our computers.
Sources: http://www.cnet.com/news/modern-security-tactics-fail-to-protect-against-malware-new-study-finds/
Software:
Going along with what I
talked about earlier in the computer section, some of the most dangerous
threats to computer security come from software run by APT (or advanced persistent
threat) actors. These organizations are
typically backed by a national government, and use some of the most advanced
software available to attempt to disrupt operations, steal data or destroy infrastructure. One of the best examples of this type of software
may be the Stuxnet malware, which reportedly destroyed 20% of Iran’s nuclear
centrifuges by infecting the computers controlling them. According to Ralph Langner, who first
discovered the malware, the malware most likely was developed with both United
States and Israeli backing, to halt Iran’s nuclear capability. Regardless of who was behind Stuxnet, the
reality is that in the 21st century it is possible for large
organizations and even nations to use malware to steal data and cripple critical
infrastructure, and it is very important that the defense of our computer
infrastructure be considered.
Future:
I think that in the
future, the combination of artificial intelligence’s knack for seeing patterns
and responding in an appropriate way will give us a huge advantage over malware
when it comes to defending our computers.
If a computer can use machine learning to learn the signs of specific
and commonly used types of malware, and how to respond to remove them, it would
be a huge advance in defending computers.
It may still be a ways into the future, but I do believe that AI could
successfully be used to detect and prevent malware much more successfully than
the current methods such as commercial anti-viruses.
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