Brussels: The European Union outlined a new action plan on Tuesday to stave off cyber risks posed by sophisticated AI models. The plan includes a series of recommendations and measures that regulate access to these models at a time when the EU increasingly depends on US firms that develop AI-powered technologies.
According to Qatar News Agency, speaking before the European Parliament, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy at the European Commission, Henna Virkkunen, said the advanced AI models have pulled off the ability to develop tools that literally hack electronic systems in a matter of minutes or hours. This hacking process, Virkkunen noted, is largely less costly than the techniques of detecting conventional security loopholes. She cautioned that taking advantage of these loopholes would ultimately threaten infrastructure and societal security.
That said, the plan stipulates the preparation of a European framework that enables public authorities and private companies to gain organized access to advanced AI capabilities for cybersecurity purposes. This is alongside establishing a more transparent mechanism to obtain early testing access to these models, amid what the Commission described as the ambiguity surrounding the mechanisms for granting this type of access at the present time.
The Commission added that the plan aims to foster the EU's readiness to confront growing cyber threats through developing protection and response tools and capitalizing on AI-powered technologies in a safe and organized manner.