White House cyber strategy can help mitigate AI dangers, official says
Acting National Cyber Director Kemba Walden said Wednesday that aspects of the National Cybersecurity Strategy are geared to promoting the secure development of AI. MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram / Getty Images
Acting National Cyber Director Kemba Walden noted that the underpinnings of the National Cyber Strategy can offer guardrails for emerging AI systems.
Kemba Walden, the White House’s acting national cyber director, gave an overview of the Biden administration’s National Cybersecurity Strategy at the Amazon Web Services Summit in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, discussing how the strategy, unveiled in March, stands to help mitigate blossoming dangers from generative artificial intelligence software.
She noted that the strategy’s pillar targeting robust data privacy and security — the fuel AI software uses to learn how to generate accurate outputs — can help ensure responsible innovation and usage of generative AI technologies.
“We built our cybersecurity strategy, the National Cybersecurity Strategy, to be agnostic to emerging technologies,” she said. “What are the cybersecurity elements to allow people to be able to leverage the power of generative AI safely? We need to think about how we analyze data while protecting it.”
Another principle within the strategy prioritizes a “secure by design” approach to software development, which Walden noted can positively impact the algorithms operating an AI system, touching on the market incentives that will be addressed in the forthcoming implementation process.
Walden also highlighted the strategy’s two primary “innovative” keys: analyzing where the burden of cybersecurity upkeep lives and strategic investments for a resilient cybersecurity posture.
“That's what we're after: looking for a secure, resilient ecosystem that's aligned with our values…regardless of the adversary, regardless of the threat of the day, regardless of the technology that day,” she said.
Walden noted that this proposed shift would demand more cohesive regulation of the cybersecurity sector to help industries such as education and critical infrastructures grapple with digital threats.
“At the end of the day, I think it serves the nation well if we raise cybersecurity baseline requirements…so that those that are getting on the biggest burden of cybersecurity risks are able to do so [in an] efficient, effective manner,” Walden said.
Editor's note: this story has been updated to correct a typo in Kemba Walden's statement.