How AI Adds New Horizons To Cybersecurity

From Improving Customer Service To Automating Work Processes And Providing Predictive Analysis, Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Is Transforming The Way Organisations Operate. Ai Is Also Bringing Significant Advantage To Cybersecurity In Uncovering Vulnerabilities And Responding To Threats. Security Correspondent Daniel Bardsley Speaks To Paul O’brien, Director Of Ai, Service, Security And Operations Lab Applied Research, Bt Technology And Professor Nader Azarmi, Emirates Ict Innovation Centre (Ebtic) Director And Head Of Bt Global Research Centres To Discuss How Advancements In Ai Spells The Future Of Security In The Middle East.

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There is no shortage of money being invested in cybersecurity research as the threats from attackers appear to grow.

Microsoft, for example, spends more than $1 billion annually in cybersecurity research and development, with the firm having said that the amount is increasing as activity migrates to the cloud.

While the companies on their own are very active in pushing the boundaries of cybersecurity technology, a facility in the UAE is showing that the private and public sectors can work together to help improve security.

The Emirates ICT Innovation Centre (EBTIC), which is based at Khalifa University of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi, recently celebrated its tenth anniversary.

Although its remit extends more widely, EBTIC – a collaboration between Khalifa University, the UAE telecommunications company Etisalat and the UK-headquartered telecommunications provider BT, with support from the UAE-based ICT Fund – is active in cybersecurity research.

According to Paul O’Brien, BT’s director of AI, service, security and operations lab applied research, the work at EBTIC includes finding ways to defend network resources while also developing solutions and catering to customers.

“The research challenge is global and therefore it is important to zoom in to the security future of the region,” he says.

“We also see a great demand from our local business customer base in the cybersecurity space as a whole.”