Sens. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., have called on the White House to offer updates on initiatives to prevent and mitigate potential cyberthreats from artificial intelligence platforms to the country’s critical infrastructure.
In a Sept. 7 letter addressed to Acting National Cyber Director Kemba Walden, the senators highlighted the cybersecurity opportunities that generative AI-related advancements offer for defenders and attackers.
“Our country will benefit enormously from broadening the technical skills across our workforce by making software development more accessible and secure. However, bad actors can also leverage generative AI technology to accelerate their attempts to undermine established cybersecurity protections,” Hickenlooper and Tillis wrote in the letter.
The lawmakers asked the White House to respond to several questions regarding AI implementation and cybersecurity, including how critical infrastructure defenders can use AI to ensure the security of their systems and recommendations for private and public industries that may fall victim to cyberattacks enabled by AI.
They also want to know how the National Cybersecurity Strategy helps address risks posed by generative AI models and if the federal government is establishing partnerships with industry, academia and local government agencies to facilitate coordination on resilient cyber defenses amid generative AI adoption.
