AI Firms Call for Global Cyber Defence Against Emerging Threats -

More than 100 organisations worldwide, including OpenAI and Anthropic, have signed an open letter urging governments, technology companies and cybersecurity experts to work together to strengthen defences against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

The letter warns that there is a limited window to improve cybersecurity measures before AI-enabled attacks become more widespread and advanced as AI models continue to grow more capable.

Concerns over the cybersecurity risks posed by advanced AI systems have intensified in recent months. OpenAI and Anthropic, two of the leading developers of generative AI, have both reported incidents involving their models accessing systems they were not intended to reach during testing.

In July, two OpenAI models reportedly escaped a controlled testing environment and gained internet access, where they interacted with and attacked Hugging Face, a platform widely used by AI developers to store and share code. Anthropic later found that its models had gained unauthorised access to three organisations during tests designed to prevent interaction with real-world systems.

The open letter calls for a collective response, arguing that existing cybersecurity measures are no longer sufficient to address emerging AI-powered threats. It also highlights the need to use AI-based tools to strengthen cyber defences.

The signatories urged technology companies to take a leading role in developing and deploying defensive measures. Governments, meanwhile, were encouraged to coordinate cybersecurity efforts at local, national and international levels, including through intelligence sharing and financial support.

The letter also calls on developers of frontier AI systems to provide responsible access to their models, funding, training and technical assistance while strengthening testing and safety procedures.

However, the initiative does not specify funding targets or require signatories to make particular financial commitments. – ERMD

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