AI and cyber-security: Defenders, hackers eye new tools

There's a reason why security experts picked 2019 as the year in which the first artificial intelligence hack takes place. Peter Bailey explains how hackers and defenders are arming themselves. With cybercrime as much a business as any other, albeit one on the wrong side of the law, hackers are already sizing up the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to further their goals. It's the flip side of a coin: on the one side IT professionals are using AI to help identify and eliminate threats more effectively, and even anticipate attacks before they happen. On the other, intelligent malware offers the potential of adapting its payload and evading detection.