As day two of the RSA Conference kicked off, industry analysts John Furrier (pictured, right) and Dave Vellante (left) discussed the emerging trends and challenges in the cybersecurity space, as well as artificial intelligence and generative AI, which are rapidly transforming the cybersecurity landscape.

While the use of AI by adversaries is a growing concern, there is no clear evidence yet as to the extent to which they are using it.

“The security industry … is ripe for disruption,” Furrier said. “We need a clash of the titans’ moment, where you’ve got the good guys and the bad guys and the game has to be changed to win the game. The bad guys are getting better, faster, cheaper.”

Furrier and Vellante discussed potential legal challenges surrounding large language models and intellectual property, as well as the growing complexity of cybersecurity due to the API economy and cloud services. The analysts provided commentary on these topics and more at the RSA Conference, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. (* Disclosure below.)

The undetected threat: AI usage by adversaries in cyberattacks

The lack of clear evidence on the use of AI by adversaries is concerning, and the industry needs to do more to detect and prevent such attacks, according to Vellante.

“How much are the adversaries really using AI?” he asked. “You know they’re doing it. They’re talking about it on the Dark Web.”

The discussion also highlighted the fact that AI is not a silver bullet and needs to be complemented with other technologies and human expertise. A key concern is the issue of large language models, copyright and intellectual property theft. The rise of large language models, such as GPT-3, is enabling new applications, but it is also giving rise to concerns around plagiarism and copyright infringement.

“Large language models essentially strip-mine the internet and strip-mine copyright potential and also intellectual property,” Furrier stated.

The lack of legal frameworks to address these issues is a major concern, and the industry needs to come together to find solutions.

“I think law will come in on this. If it takes the form of the MP3 music battle — that’s the closest case law that matches what’s happening here with large language models — because it is stolen content,” Furrier said. “If you have great content of breaking analysis that’s paid … or you own it with a copyright, that’s legally yours. And if they take your content and reshape it into another product, that’s derivative work.”

Furrier and Vellante also discussed the state of media trust, with the rise of fake news and misinformation posing a threat to the industry. In fact, the industry needs to find ways to combat fake news and misinformation and ensure that accurate and trustworthy information is disseminated to the public, according to the analysts.

“It speaks to the state of media trust. Is there going to be a media renaissance? Is it going to be a rise from the ashes like a phoenix with actually good reporting?” Vellante asked

On the future of cloud and tech market, Vellante and Furrier were optimistic, as they predicted that the cloud would come roaring back when the tech market rebounds.

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the RSA Conference:

(* Disclosure: This is an unsponsored editorial segment. However, theCUBE is a paid media partner for the RSA Conference. Sponsors of theCUBE’s event coverage do not have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE