Technologist Bruce Schneier on security, society and why we need 'public AI' models
In his keynote speech at the Secure Open Source Software (SOSS) Fusion Conference in Atlanta, renowned security expert Bruce Schneier discussed the promises and threats of artificial intelligence (AI) for cybersecurity and society.
Schneier opened by saying, "AI is a complicated word. When I think about how technologies replace people, I think of them as improving in one or more of four dimensions: speed, scale, scope, and sophistication. AIs aren't better at training than humans are. They are just faster." Where it gets interesting is when that speed fundamentally changes things up.
For example, he said, "High-frequency trading (HFT) is not just faster trading. It's a different sort of animal. This is why we're worried about AI, social media, and democracy. The scope and scale of AI agents are so great that they change the nature of social media." For example, AI political bots are already affecting the US election.
Another concern Schneier raised is that AIs make mistakes that aren't like those made by people. "AI will make more systematic mistakes," he warned. "AIs at this point don't have the common sense baseline humans have." This lack of common sense could lead to pervasive errors when AI is applied to critical decision-making processes.
