Rules needed to prevent tech abuse, protect user data: experts
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used more widely in helping enforce China's cybersecurity practices and reducing the number of cyber attacks, Chinese internet business insiders said on Monday, and urged the industry to make rules to prevent the abuse of the technology and protect user data.
AI is being heralded as a useful tool to protect cybersecurity, as this technology can learn from human's growing experience to bolster cybersecurity, with enhanced emergency capabilities, Qin Yu, head of the 30th branch of the China Electronics Technology Group, told the Global Times on Monday.
Echoing Qin, Zheng Junfang, Alibaba chief risk officer, said cyber attacks have become more sophisticated, which requires us to fight back with more developed and intelligent technology.
They made the remarks at the 2018 China Cybersecurity Week, which runs from Monday to Sunday.
At a cybersecurity expo on Monday, many internet companies showcased their latest AI products designed to promote cybersecurity.
For instance, AIID, a system developed by Chinese tech giant Baidu, is capable of identifying users by checking their personal features such as facial, figure and bone structures. Some schools and institutes have used it to check attendance and access control.
However, Qin said that AI can be destructive if handled improperly.
"The internet industry is making rules to regulate the use of AI. We should take a cautious attitude towards the technology," she said.
Rules issued by the Ministry of Public Security in June state that without authorization, network operators cannot collect data and personal information unrelated to the services they provide and shall not disclose, falsify, or destroy the data and personal information it collects, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Despite increasing security concerns, the growing use of AI in protecting cybersecurity is irreversible, experts said.
Dai Limin, an employee at Antiy, an anti-virus engine innovator based in the northeastern Chinese city of Harbin, told the Global Times that before AI, it was hard to sort out and store huge amounts of data.
AI technology can help security systems detect, analyze, and defend against advanced attacks by actively detecting and tricking attackers, she said.
Skilled cyber workers are in huge demand, as the number of cyber attacks has grown in recent years, Tan Xiaosheng, chief privacy officer of Qihoo 360 Technology, said on Monday.
That's when AI comes in handy to fill in the gap, Tan said.
However, AI technology won't reduce the work force in the cybersecurity industry. Rather, it will increase the number of positions in security and data analysis, said Fan Yuan, CEO of DBAPPS Security, a Hangzhou-based company, at the conference.
