Hardening AI: Is machine learning the next infosec imperative?

As enterprise deployments of machine learning continue at a strong pace, including in mission-critical environments such as in contact centers, for fraud detection and in regulated sectors like healthcare and finance for example, they are doing so against a backdrop of rising and evermore ferocious cyberattacks. Take, for example, the SolarWinds hack in December 2020, arguably one of the largest on record, or the recent exploits that hit Exchange servers and affected tens of thousands of customers. Alongside such attacks, we've seen new impetus behind the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI), with the world's first regulatory framework for the technology arriving in April 2021. The EU's landmark proposals build on GDPR legislation, carrying heavy penalties for enterprises that fail to consider the risks and ensure that trust goes hand in hand with success in AI. Altogether, a climate is emerging in which the significance of securing machine learning can no longer be ignored.