Q&A: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE & CYBERSECURITY IN MILITARY TECH
AppleMagazine|June 02, 2023
Josh Lospinoso’s first cybersecurity startup was acquired in 2017 by Raytheon/Forcepoint
Q&A: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE & CYBERSECURITY IN MILITARY TECH

His second, Shift5, works with the U.S. military, rail operators and airlines including JetBlue. A 2009 West Point grad and Rhodes Scholar, the 36-yearold former Army captain spent more than a decade authoring hacking tools for the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command.

Lospinoso recently told a Senate Armed Services subcommittee how artificial intelligence can help protect military operations. The CEO/programmer discussed the subject as well how software vulnerabilities in weapons systems are a major threat to the U.S. military. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Q: IN YOUR TESTIMONY, YOU DESCRIBED TWO PRINCIPAL THREATS TO AI-ENABLED TECHNOLOGIES: ONE IS THEFT. THAT’S SELF-EXPLANATORY. THE OTHER IS DATA POISONING. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT?

A: One way to think about data poisoning is as digital disinformation. If adversaries are able to craft the data that AI-enabled technologies see, they can profoundly impact how that technology operates.

Q: IS DATA POISONING HAPPENING?

A: We are not seeing it broadly. But it has occurred. One of the best-known cases happened in 2016. Microsoft released a Twitter chatbot it named Tay that learned from conversations it had online. Malicious users conspired to tweet abusive, offensive language at it. Tay began to generate inflammatory content. Microsoft took it offline.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM APPLEMAGAZINEView all
NEW JERSEY OFFSHORE WIND FARM CLEARS BIG FEDERAL HURDLE AMID ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
AppleMagazine

NEW JERSEY OFFSHORE WIND FARM CLEARS BIG FEDERAL HURDLE AMID ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

The federal government gave a key approval this week to an offshore wind farm in New Jersey, even as residents in the town where its power cable would come ashore worry it could go through underground toxic waste that’s still being cleaned up.

time-read
3 mins  |
AppleMagazine #675
AUSTRALIA'S ONLINE DATING INDUSTRY ADOPTS CODE OF CONDUCT TO KEEP USERS SAFER
AppleMagazine

AUSTRALIA'S ONLINE DATING INDUSTRY ADOPTS CODE OF CONDUCT TO KEEP USERS SAFER

A code of conduct will be enforced on the online dating industry to better protect Australian users after research found that three-in-four people suffer some form of sexual violence through the platforms, Australia’s government said this week.

time-read
2 mins  |
AppleMagazine #675
PARENTS WILL HAVE TO SET ASIDE SOME EARNINGS FOR CHILD INFLUENCERS UNDER NEW CALIFORNIA LAWS
AppleMagazine

PARENTS WILL HAVE TO SET ASIDE SOME EARNINGS FOR CHILD INFLUENCERS UNDER NEW CALIFORNIA LAWS

Parents in California who profit from social media posts featuring their children will be required to set aside some earnings for their minor influencers under a pair of measures signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

time-read
2 mins  |
AppleMagazine #675
WARREN BUFFETT BUYS REST OF BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY'S UTILITIES.BUT INVESTORS MUST GUESS AT THE PRICE
AppleMagazine

WARREN BUFFETT BUYS REST OF BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY'S UTILITIES.BUT INVESTORS MUST GUESS AT THE PRICE

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is buying the rest of its utility unit from the estate of a longtime board member who died three years ago, but it’s not clear exactly how much it will pay for that 8% stake in the massive utility business.

time-read
2 mins  |
AppleMagazine #675
SPACEX LAUNCHES RESCUE MISSION FOR 2 NASA ASTRONAUTS WHO ARE STUCK IN SPACE UNTIL NEXT YEAR
AppleMagazine

SPACEX LAUNCHES RESCUE MISSION FOR 2 NASA ASTRONAUTS WHO ARE STUCK IN SPACE UNTIL NEXT YEAR

SpaceX launched a rescue mission for the two stuck astronauts at the International Space Station, sending up a downsized crew to bring them home but not until next year.

time-read
3 mins  |
AppleMagazine #675
TESLA POSTS FIRST QUARTERLY INCREASE IN DELIVERIES, BUT SHARES SLUMP WITH INVESTORS HOPING FOR MORE
AppleMagazine

TESLA POSTS FIRST QUARTERLY INCREASE IN DELIVERIES, BUT SHARES SLUMP WITH INVESTORS HOPING FOR MORE

Low interest financing, sweet lease deals, price cuts and free charging boosted Tesla’s global deliveries in the third quarter, the first increase this year for the electric vehicle maker.

time-read
2 mins  |
AppleMagazine #675
ARKANSAS SUES YOUTUBE OVER CLAIMS THAT THE SITE IS FUELING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS
AppleMagazine

ARKANSAS SUES YOUTUBE OVER CLAIMS THAT THE SITE IS FUELING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

Arkansas sued YouTube and parent company Alphabet this week, saying the video-sharing platform is made deliberately addictive and fueling a mental health crisis among youth in the state.

time-read
2 mins  |
AppleMagazine #675
EPIC GAMES SUES GOOGLE AND SAMSUNG OVER PHONE SETTINGS, ACCUSING THEM OF VIOLATING ANTITRUST LAWS
AppleMagazine

EPIC GAMES SUES GOOGLE AND SAMSUNG OVER PHONE SETTINGS, ACCUSING THEM OF VIOLATING ANTITRUST LAWS

Video game maker Epic Games sued Google and Samsung this week, accusing the tech companies of coordinating to block third-party competition in application distribution on Samsung devices.

time-read
2 mins  |
AppleMagazine #675
JAPANESE SPONSORS TOYOTA BRIDGESTONE AND PANASONIC END OLYMPIC CONTRACTS
AppleMagazine

JAPANESE SPONSORS TOYOTA BRIDGESTONE AND PANASONIC END OLYMPIC CONTRACTS

The International Olympic Committee’s three major Japanese sponsors — Toyota, Panasonic and Bridgestone — are terminating their contracts.

time-read
2 mins  |
AppleMagazine #675
SATELLITE SERVICE DIRECTV BUYS RIVAL DISH AS IT FIGHTS THE ONSLAUGHT OF STREAMING SERVICES
AppleMagazine

SATELLITE SERVICE DIRECTV BUYS RIVAL DISH AS IT FIGHTS THE ONSLAUGHT OF STREAMING SERVICES

DirecTV is buying Dish and Sling, a deal it has sought to complete for years, as the company seeks to better compete against streaming services that have become dominant.

time-read
3 mins  |
AppleMagazine #675