Former FBI special agent Nicole Parker joins'Fox & Friends First' to discuss why the U.S. is on'high alert' for Iranian threats inside the country after U.S. airstrikes on three nuclear sites. In times like this, you hear the concern from your neighbors. You talk about it with people at the gym. It's the topic of conversation over morning coffee -- from small towns to big cities -- "Are we going to see an increase in terror attacks here at home?" Now, there are news that Iranian "sleeper cells" pose a dangerous threat. Such cells could carry out attacks on U.S. citizens in retaliation for recent military operations in Iran, it's understandable that Americans are feeling concerned for their safety here at home.

Leading figures in the development of artificial intelligence systems, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, have signed a statement warning that the technology they are building may someday pose an existential threat to humanity comparable to that of nuclear war and pandemics. "Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks, such as pandemics and nuclear war," reads a one-sentence statement, released today by the Center for AI Safety, a nonprofit. The idea that AI might become difficult to control, and either accidentally or deliberately destroy humanity, has long been debated by philosophers. But in the past six months, following some surprising and unnerving leaps in the performance of AI algorithms, the issue has become a lot more widely and seriously discussed. In addition to Altman and Hassabis, the statement was signed by Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, a startup dedicated to developing AI with a focus on safety.

For years, breakthroughs in automation have led to increasing instability for blue collar workers -- particularly those in manufacturing -- while those in white collar positions have remained mostly unfazed by the same anxieties. Until generative AI's breakthrough, that is. In what appears to be the first major, technology-driven shakeup to the white collar marketplace, artificial intelligence could well be poised to replace human workers in higher-paying, college-degree-requiring jobs. "Before, progress was linear and predictable. You figured out the steps and the computer followed them," MIT professor David Autor, an expert on employment and technological change, told The Atlantic's Annie Lowery.

Payton predicted that "AI poisoning" will be something to be concerned about in 2021. As Towards Data Science notes, a "poisoning attack happens when the adversary is able to inject bad data into your model's training pool, and hence get it to learn something it shouldn't." In solidly built AI models, Payton noted, "your [AI] coach should be self-learning and contextually aware and almost become a black box to the engineer" once it gets up and running. "My prediction is that, as we're implementing more AI, hackers will hack in and change that algorithm undetected, so that the AI will do things not initially in the design," she said. "AI is going to be cybercriminals' weapon of choice, to help them crack into more accounts, networks and data stores."

Speaking at The Wall Street Journal's virtual CIO Network Summit event on Tuesday, Rep. Jim Langevin (D., R.I.), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, said he is taking an "all hands on deck approach" to prepare for possible cyber retaliation against the U.S. "We have to be realistic and understand that as we impose sanctions--we take actions--there could be blowback here," said Rep. Langevin. In preparing for possible cyberattacks, Rep. Langevin said, "private companies also have a role to play." He said they should be implementing testing procedures to back up and restore data, instituting multifactor authentication on devices connected to their networks, ensuring software is up-to-date and patching known vulnerabilities. Theresa Payton, founder and CEO of Fortalice Solutions and former CIO of the White House under President George W. Bush, said companies should consider locking accounts after two or three failed login attempts. "During challenging times such as these, the Russian operatives could be using password spraying attacks, recycling passwords from past password data dumps [and] using artificial intelligence" to access corporate networks, Ms. Payton said at the CIO Network Summit event.

Yuval Harari, a world-renowned social philosopher and the bestselling author of "Sapiens," has a stark warning: we need to start regulating AI, because otherwise big companies are going to be able to "hack" humans. Harari believes that the rapidly increasing sophistication of AI could lead to a population of "hacked humans," according to a report from CBS's "60 Minutes." To deal with this issue, he's calling on the world's leaders to begin regulating AI and data collection efforts by large corporations. "To hack a human being is to get to know that person better than they know themselves," he told the show. "And based on that, to increasingly manipulate you."

Experts say Iran may retaliate for the killing of Qassem Soleimani, its top military leader, with cyber attacks on American companies. Experts say Iran may retaliate for the killing of Qassem Soleimani, its top military leader, with cyber attacks on American companies. Cybersecurity researchers and U.S. government officials said hackers linked to Iran are probing American companies for vulnerabilities. The warnings suggest that the next phase of hostilities between the U.S. and Iran, following the Jan. 3 killing of a top Iranian general in an American drone strike, is likely to play out in cyberspace. The Iranian regime is accused of being behind some high-profile online operations against American targets in recent years. Between 2011 and 2013, hackers targeted big American banks including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Capital One.

AI has the power to boost the economy, improve environmental sustainability and create a more equitable society -- but there are dangers associated with its rise, the panel of experts has told. The report was developed to give Australians a reference point to understand AI, and what living in a future dominated by the technology will really mean. AI refers to a collection of technologies which give machines the ability to perform tasks and solve problems that would otherwise require the human brain to carry out. While the U.S. and China are undoubtedly leaders in AI technology, Australia is punching well above its weight in terms of establishing systems for mining, agriculture, and manufacturing. Australia is also the five-time winner of the world robot soccer competition, the Robocup.

The world must prepare for potential malicious use of artificial intelligence (AI) by rogue states, criminals and terrorists, according to a report by a group of 26 security experts. Forecasting rapid growth in cybercrime and the misuse of drones during the next decade – as well as an unprecedented rise in the use of bots to manipulate everything from elections to the news agenda and social media, the report calls for governments and corporations worldwide to address the danger inherent in the myriad applications of AI. The report – The Malicious Use of Artificial Intelligence: Forecasting, Prevention, and Mitigation – also recommends interventions to mitigate the threats posed by the malicious use of AI. The report says that AI has many positive applications, but it is a dual-use technology and AI researchers and engineers should be proactive about the potential for its misuse. Policymakers and technical researchers need to work together now to understand and prepare for the malicious use of AI, according to the authors.

Leading experts are warning that the prevalence of artificial intelligence in our daily lives will lead to a "tech takeover" of every aspect of our lives. The ultra-liberal British Institute for Public Policy Research has concluded that while technology will soon permeate every aspect of our lives, and in certain ways, control it, the benefits will outweigh the negatives. Artificial intelligence will not lead to a "post-human society," but rather increased economic output and the creation of new sources of wealth. The critical challenge of automation is likely to be in distribution rather than production. If the benefits are fairly shared, automation can help build an economy where prosperity is underpinned by justice, with a more equitable distribution of wealth, income and working time.