The guidelines were developed by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the US’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). They have already secured endorsements from 17 other countries, including all G7 members.

The guidelines provide recommendations for developers and organisations using AI to incorporate cybersecurity at every stage. This “secure by design” approach advises baking in security from the initial design phase through development, deployment, and ongoing operations.  

Specific guidelines cover four key areas: secure design, secure development, secure deployment, and secure operation and maintenance. They suggest security behaviours and best practices for each phase.

The launch event in London convened over 100 industry, government, and international partners. Speakers included reps from Microsoft, the Alan Turing Institute, and cyber agencies from the US, Canada, Germany, and the UK.  

NCSC CEO Lindy Cameron stressed the need for proactive security amidst AI’s rapid pace of development. She said, “security is not a postscript to development but a core requirement throughout.”

The guidelines build on existing UK leadership in AI safety. Last month, the UK hosted the first international summit on AI safety at Bletchley Park.

US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said: “We are at an inflection point in the development of artificial intelligence, which may well be the most consequential technology of our time. Cybersecurity is key to building AI systems that are safe, secure, and trustworthy.

“The guidelines jointly issued today by CISA, NCSC, and our other international partners, provide a common-sense path to designing, developing, deploying, and operating AI with cybersecurity at its core.”

The 18 endorsing countries span Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Americas. Here is the full list of international signatories:

• Australia – Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC)
• Canada – Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS) 
• Chile – Chile’s Government CSIRT
• Czechia – Czechia’s National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NUKIB)
• Estonia – Information System Authority of Estonia (RIA) and National Cyber Security Centre of Estonia (NCSC-EE)
• France – French Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI)
• Germany – Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI)
• Israel – Israeli National Cyber Directorate (INCD)
• Italy – Italian National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN)
• Japan – Japan’s National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity (NISC; Japan’s Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, Cabinet Office
• New Zealand – New Zealand National Cyber Security Centre
• Nigeria – Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)
• Norway – Norwegian National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-NO)
• Poland – Poland’s NASK National Research Institute (NASK)
• Republic of Korea – Republic of Korea National Intelligence Service (NIS)
• Singapore – Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA)
• United Kingdom – National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)
• United States of America – Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA); National Security Agency (NSA; Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)

UK Science and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan positioned the new guidelines as cementing the UK’s role as “an international standard bearer on the safe use of AI.”

“Just weeks after we brought world leaders together at Bletchley Park to reach the first international agreement on safe and responsible AI, we are once again uniting nations and companies in this truly global effort,” adds Donelan.

The guidelines are now published on the NCSC website alongside explanatory blogs. Developer uptake will be key to translating the secure by design vision into real-world improvements in AI security.

(Photo by Jan Antonin Kolar on Unsplash)

See also: Paul O’Sullivan, Salesforce: Transforming work in the GenAI era

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with Cyber Security & Cloud Expo and Digital Transformation Week.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

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During a panel at the World Economic Forum, Wray explained that Beijing’s AI program “is not constrained by the rule of law”.

Wray says Beijing has “a bigger hacking program than any other nation” and will use machine learning to further boost the capabilities of its state-sponsored hackers.

Much like nuclear expertise, AI can be used to benefit the world or harm it.

“I have the same reaction every time,” Wray explained. “I think, ‘Wow, we can do that.’ And then, ‘Oh god, they can do that.’”

Beijing is often accused of influencing other countries through its infrastructure investments. Washington largely views China’s expanding economic influence and military might as America’s main long-term security challenge.

Wray says that Beijing’s AI program “is built on top of the massive troves of intellectual property and sensitive data that they’ve stolen over the years.”

Furthermore, it will be used “to advance that same intellectual property theft, to advance the repression that occurs not just back home in mainland China but increasingly as a product they export around the world.”

Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince spoke on the same panel and offered a more positive take: “The thing that makes me optimistic in this space: there are more good guys than bad guys.”

Prince acknowledges that whoever has the most data will win the AI race. Western data collection protections have historically been much stricter than in China.

“In a world where all these technologies are available to both the good guys and the bad guys, the good guys are constrained by the rule of law and international norms,” Wray added. “The bad guys aren’t, which you could argue gives them a competitive advantage.”

Prince and Wray say it’s the cooperation of the “good guys” that gives them the best chance at staying a step ahead of those wishing to cause harm.

“When we’re all working together, they’re no match,” concludes Wray.

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The event is co-located with the Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

The post FBI director warns about Beijing’s AI program appeared first on AI News.