Tackling digital risks in the era of AI

With the continual rise of digital risks from cyberattacks to misinformation, this episode of the think ahead podcast series explores the current challenges and threats to organisations as the volume and scale of disruptions continues to rise.

Professor S. Alex Yang, Professor of Management Science and Operations at London Business School, host of the podcast, is joined by Gal Sadeh, Principal AI researcher at Silverforte, a computer and network security company. The two discuss the evolving landscape of cybersecurity. 

Some insights from the conversation include how the intersection of AI and cybersecurity presents both opportunities and challenges. These include: 

• The human factor: most attacks on organisations are the result of breaches caused by human mistakes. Research shows that between 75-90% of incidents are caused by human factors. While some may be malicious, most will be unintentional.

• The rising threat of supply chain attacks, where hackers exploit vulnerabilities in third-party tools, will continue. No one will ever be 100% safe, so it's probably good to have to take a layered approach and spend time understanding what your most sensitive data is.

• AI has a dual role in cybersecurity. Hackers use AI to enhance attacks, like crafting more convincing phishing emails or exploiting AI-driven chatbots. On the other hand, organisations are leveraging AI to detect such threats and monitor their environments. Gal warns that AI can also enable new forms of cyberattacks, such as prompt injection or data poisoning.

• A layered approach to cybersecurity, including diversifying security tools, fostering a security-conscious organisational culture, and having dedicated security teams will be necessary. Awareness and training, as well as planning for crisis scenarios, will all be key to succeeding. The importance of building systems that are resilient to both known and unknown vulnerabilities will continue to increase.

• Even in small startups with limited resources, business leaders must recognise the growing intersection of AI, human behaviour, and cybersecurity to effectively navigate these risks.