Alethea Inns and Maxine Franks delivered a presentation on artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity at Cyberjutsu Unplugged on Jan.25. Hosted by Cyberjutsu, a nonprofit organization that empowers women in the cybersecurity industry, the event focused on exploring careers and trending topics in technology with a variety of speakers, events, and training opportunities.

In their presentation, Inns, instructional technology support specialist, and Franks, information security analyst, covered the different types of AI and its applications in cybersecurity. Inns discussed the opportunities that AI can provide in the cybersecurity field, while also emphasizing some of the potential risks and challenges.

“AI can be directly applied to cybersecurity to help with preventing threats, analyzing user behavior, and creating automated responses to cyberattacks,” said Inns. “However, it’s crucial to fact-check the information AI tools give to users and not rely on it to be a single source of information.”

As co-chair of the Faculty Senate AI Task Force, co-facilitator for the Generative AI Fellows Pilot program, and chair of the OneIT AI working group, Inns is an expert in evolving AI technology. As she continued expanding her knowledge about AI, she saw a clear connection to cybersecurity.

“If we want to use AI ethically and responsibly, we need to know the risks and encourage others to use it safely,” said Inns. “Maxine got me thinking about AI from a security perspective and helped me learn about the cybersecurity implications in AI.”

Franks presented alongside Inns at the event to further explain the cybersecurity-related concerns with using AI tools and services. As an information security expert, she highlighted ways AI can compromise security and emphasized the importance of using these tools responsibly.

“Some key concerns with AI in security include ensuring data privacy and preventing biases in AI decision-making,” said Franks. “It’s important to remember that AI should be used with caution, backed by strong access controls and regular examination to maintain security and fairness for the university.”

In addition to presenting, Franks was also a volunteer at the event who helped make sure things ran smoothly for her fellow speakers and attendees.

The combined efforts of our IT team allowed local community members to expand their knowledge on AI technology and how to utilize it in a cyber-secure way.