In May of this year, Horizon 2020 SHERPA project activities kicked off with a meeting in Brussels. F-Secure is a partner in the SHERPA consortium – a group consisting of 11 members from six European countries – whose mission is to understand how the combination of artificial intelligence and big data analytics will impact ethics and human rights issues today, and in the future (https://www.project-sherpa.eu/).
As part of this project, one of F-Secure’s first tasks will be to study security issues, dangers, and implications of the use of data analytics and artificial intelligence, including applications in the cyber security domain. This research project will examine:
- ways in which machine learning systems are commonly mis-implemented (and recommendations on how to prevent this from happening)
- ways in which machine learning models and algorithms can be adversarially attacked (and mitigations against such attacks)
- how artificial intelligence and data analysis methodologies might be used for malicious purposes
We’ve already done a fair bit of this research*, so expect to see more articles on this topic in the near future!
As strange as it sounds, I sometimes find powerpoint a good tool for arranging my thoughts, especially before writing a long document. As an added bonus, I have a presentation ready to go, should I need it.
Some members of the SHERPA project recently attended WebSummit in Lisbon – a four day event with over 70,000 attendees and over 70 dedicated discussions and panels. Topics related to artificial intelligence were prevalent this year, ranging from tech presentations on how to develop better AI, to existential debates on the implications of AI on the environment and humanity. The event attracted a wide range of participants, including many technologists, politicians, and NGOs.
During WebSummit, SHERPA members participated in the Social Innovation Village, where they joined forces with projects and initiatives such as Next Generation Internet, CAPPSI, MAZI, DemocratieOuverte, grassroots radio, and streetwize to push for “more social good in technology and more technology in social good”. Here, SHERPA researchers showcased the work they’ve already done to deepen the debate on the implications of AI in policing, warfare, education, health and social care, and transport.
The presentations attracted the keen interest of representatives from more than 100 large and small organizations and networks in Europe and further afield, including the likes of Founder’s Institute, Google, and Amazon, and also led to a public commitment by Carlos Moedas, the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation. You can listen to the highlights of the conversation here.
To get a preview of SHERPA’s scenario work and take part in the debate click here.
* If you’re wondering why I haven’t blogged in a long while, it’s because I’ve been hiding away, working on a bunch of AI-related research projects (such as this). Down the road, I’m hoping to post more articles and code – if and when I have results to share 😉
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