Overview: Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Quick Definition

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, refers to a general category of computing strategies, technologies, and techniques that enable computer systems to mimic human reasoning. In particular, most production AI systems attempt to mimic the human ability to learn over time and to make increasingly appropriate decisions based on what they have previously learned, often by creating and maintaining artificial neural networks.

AI is used in many ways to secure systems, usually by being able to differentiate between "normal" patterns of system activity, user behavior, other other data and "anomalous" instances of these things that may indicate the presence of malicious behavior or an intruder. Plurilock's DEFEND technology is an example of AI techniques used in support of cybersecurity.

In recent years, AI has also become a cybersecurity problem in its own right, particularly with the arrival of ChatGPT and Google Bard as viable "AI assistants" for everyday work. In particular, as employees interact with AI systems, they may inadvertently (or intentionally) provide the AI with data, forms of access, or other restricted resources that can represent security or compliance problems for organizations. Products like Plurilock AI PromptGuard are part of a new generation of cybersecurity tools designed to address AI when acting as a cybersecurity threat.