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March 8, 2024

Securing the Future of AI: The Role of Data Science | Nicole Carignan

About This Video

Nicole Carignan, VP Strategic Cyber AI, Darktrace presents a Technical Talk at the 2024 WiDS Worldwide, Stanford conference.

In her presentation, Nicole highlights the widespread accessibility of generative AI through platforms like ChatGPT, enabling broad experimentation among consumers, businesses, and adversaries alike. She addresses the concerning trend of malicious actors leveraging these tools for nefarious purposes, leading to an increase in sophisticated cyberattacks such as phishing and social engineering, along with the creation of malicious ChatGPT clones. However, Nicole also discusses the positive potential of AI in cybersecurity, advocating for its application by security teams to bolster defenses and enhance automation, ultimately supporting overwhelmed security personnel. She stresses the importance of transparency and integrity in AI solutions to foster trust and collaboration between humans and machines, underscoring the vital role of data scientists in ensuring the responsible use and security of AI technologies to safeguard our digital future.


In This Video
VP Strategic Cyber AI, Darktrace

Talk Title: Securing the Future of AI: The Role of Data Science

Abstract: The emergence of ChatGPT brought generative AI to the masses allowing many to experiment with these tools for the first time– consumers, businesses, and adversaries alike. Malicious actors have already started to take advantage of open-source generative AI tools to launch attacks with greater sophistication and speed. This has resulted in a rise in phishing emails, novel social engineering attacks, and hackers creating their own malicious ChatGPT clones – with further misuse expected. Luckily, adversaries are not the only ones who can use AI to their advantage.

In this presentation, Nicole will discuss how security teams can apply AI in their security operations to harden their defenses and increase automation to help defend in machine speed, and uplift stretched security teams. Transparency and integrity of AI is integral in building trust to ensure teams embrace AI-powered solutions. Data scientists play a crucial role in ensuring the responsibility and security of AI tools, working to foster an environment of collaboration between humans and machines. Data science has emerged as a linchpin in helping to ensure the integrity of AI solutions and in turn, data scientists have become crucial in protecting our digital future.

Bio: Nicole Carignan is the VP of Strategic Cyber AI for Darktrace, and she has 25 years of experience in cybersecurity, networks, computer science, data science/artificial intelligence and IT supporting numerous private and public institutions in cybersecurity solutions and data science. She has 20 years of federal USG experience. Her expertise in Cyber Threat Intelligence, Data Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Defense in Depth Solutions, Operations Engineering, and Network Security products gives her insight into technology, tools, and techniques for unique solutions. In this role, she serves in executive leadership for the application of artificial intelligence to cyber security through thought leadership, product strategy, research, and communications.