March 16, 2022
Artificial Intelligence: The Future of Security
Allison Lawrence
Artificial intelligence is used all around us even if you do not realize it. Everything from phones to banks to healthcare to social media all make use of various forms of AI technology. So what exactly is artificial intelligence? Artificial intelligence, or AI, is the ability of a machine to sense, comprehend, and act with human-like intelligence. One way that this is accomplished is with machine learning, a method of data analysis that enable a machine to recognize patterns and make decision with very limited human intervention.
This can be a bit confusing so here’s a simple example. Say you want a machine to be able to identify birds from other animals. Without machine learning, it would need to be programmed to check for all the attributes of a bird, such as they have feathers, wings, and beaks. However, this can be very time consuming to program, which is where machine learning comes in. A machine can be given a collection images and be able to pick up patterns on its own and create its own rules so when an image is given to the machine not from the original dataset, it would still be able to determine whether or not it was a bird. Therefore, not only does it save time, it can quickly go through large data sets and allows for continuous improvement.
That might seem like a very superficial example but it is the basics of how machine learning and AI are used to increase security.
Because AI is very good at recognizing patterns and noticing when something does not match, it is excellent in detecting unknown threats caused by hackers. This is critical in protecting a company’s network from malware and other attacks. It can also detect and respond to issues much quicker than a person would be able to. This is especially important if your company has a website where customers must input sensitive information.
AI is also behind facial recognition technology that is now used everywhere from unlocking phones to airport security. Some airports now use Smart Tunnel, which uses a combination of facial and iris recognition to verify a person’s identity. This is accomplished by using 80 micro cameras that then uses AI to process and verify a person’s identity. One of the benefits of this technology is reducing waiting time at airports and human inefficiency.
So how exactly does this work?
When your photo is taken at the airport, AI compares the live photo of you with a stored photo from a passport, drivers license, or other official photo. Using AI, you are either then allowed through or directed to an official for manual inspection.
Like all things, there are some downsides to this technology and the most pressing is privacy concerns. One criticism is how and for how long the data is being stored, for instance after you pass through airport security. In addition, it is now getting easier to capture faces remotely as after all, your face can’t be encrypted. There is also much less transparency over when facial recognition is used.
It is also not just big companies that are working on artificial intelligence either. Many startups have been focused on improving AI technology in a variety of fields. H2O.ai is a startup company that has become a leader in automatic machine learning, helping other companies implement AI into their business. They have even worked with some of the top technology companies such as Intel, Microsoft, and IBM. Veriff is another start up that uses AI to protect businesses and customers from identity fraud. They use AI to provide immediate feedback about their security. And lastly, Saffe is startup that focuses on providing secure facial recognition technology for financial transactions and authentications. Of course, these are just a few examples of the many startups working to improve AI technology.
No matter the industry, AI is sure to become even more advanced in the years to come. So next time you use go through airport security and feel like you just walked right in, think about the incredible use of AI technology working behind the scenes. Scientists are just at the start of discovering all of what artificial intelligence is capable of doing.