The internet has evolved and so has risks and its application. Computers used to be safer in the 1970s but with the advent of the internet it has become a risky place and many malware lurks around to steal some information. The bright side of the internet is its applications such as artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence and cybersecurity are two different spheres but due to the overlapping of their usage, they are sometimes misunderstood. Here we are going to learn the demarcations that separate these two.
Cybersecurity vs Artificial Intelligence
The main difference between Cybersecurity and artificial intelligence is that cybersecurity is all about protecting computer systems and networks connecting them from information theft, on the other hand, artificial intelligence is the use of intelligent machines to achieve some goals based on the perception formed by machines. Artificial intelligence by no means equates to the cognitive functions performed by human minds.
Cybersecurity which is also known as IT security is the protection of data generated by computers and related networks. It includes hardware protection, electronic data protection, etc. Cybersecurity emerged due to the explosion of internet services and their applications. The internet is a loosely regulated world with less consensus on how it should be regulated. The lack of regulation leaves computers and networks connecting them vulnerable to attacks. The first malware ever invented was Creeper.
Artificial intelligence is an attempt to replicate human cognition. It is, however, in its infancy and only deals with usages such as smart web search, speech recognition, etc. Artificial intelligence is an attempt to replicate human intelligence as it is believed that the human mind can be defined accurately and precisely. So far, the attempts to define the brain fully have failed so has the development of artificial intelligence to its fullest.
Comparison Table Between Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence
| Parameters of Comparison | Cybersecurity | Artificial Intelligence |
| Type | It is the use and management of information related to computer and their networks. | It is a discipline. |
| Goals | Its goal is to protect data. | Its goal is knowledge application. |
| Existential risk | It cannot become an existential risk. | It can become an existential risk if it is realized to its fullest. |
| Data points | It has a lot of data points. | It can be used to manage data points. |
| Expertise needed | Networking is the required field of expertise for it. | Coding and algorithms are needed. |
What is Cybersecurity?
Due to the continuous increase of smart devices and ever expansion of the internet and its application cybersecurity has become inevitable in today’s world. Cybersecurity is the need of the hour as it helps manage and understand computer data and protect it.
The data mass has become so complex and the world of the internet is so underregulated that cybersecurity becomes imperative for an organization and an individual. Due to some conflicting duties of an organization, cybersecurity becomes a two-edged sword for them. An organization may be responsible for the protection of data which requires spotting and fixing flaws at the same time they may be required to extract sensitive data which requires exploitation of flaws in systems.
These sorts of conflicts lead to challenges to cybersecurity. There are various forms of cybercrimes that need management. Cybercrimes such as fishing, social engineering, spoofing, reverse engineering, etc. attack the data point through various means. The protection against these is the main function of cybersecurity. Cybercriminals generally target investment banks, commercial banks, or organizations of great importance.
The use of various means such as artificial intelligence and networking are employed to achieve cybersecurity. Cyber-attacks cause a lot of financial damage. It can be prevented through cybersecurity and laws aimed at regulating the internet.
What is Artificial Intelligence?
As the name suggests it is intelligence shown by artificial things i.e. machines. We have many attempts to make machines work like humans and Artificial intelligence is one such attempt. It is believed by its proponents that the human brain is easily understandable and hence, it can be simulated through machines and algorithms.
Artificial intelligence so far has seen its application in speech recognition, self-driving cars, smart web browsers, etc. It however is far from simulating brain functions as contrary to the beliefs of its proponent the human brain is not easily definable. The wonder of artificial intelligence began in 1956 when a bunch of people gathered together in a workshop at Dartmouth College.
They and their students then began developing programs that can solve algebra problems, speak English, etc. The discovery was astonishing and was lauded by the press and media. The progress in Artificial intelligence development slowed during the 1970s when funding was cut by governments for research.
The periods are famously known as AI winter. Artificial intelligence uses a symbolic approach. Artificial intelligence attempts to understand human actions by understanding high-level symbols that represent logic, search, and problem representation. With the symbolic approach, Artificial intelligence fails to understand everything. It fails to understand perception, pattern recognition, etc.
Main Differences Between Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence
- Artificial Intelligence is a discipline that attempts to replicate human cognition by the use of machines whereas, Cybersecurity is the protection of data related to computers and networks that connect them.
- Cybersecurity is solely concerned with methods that can be employed for data protection whereas, Artificial Intelligence is concerned with knowledge applications.
- Cybersecurity doesn’t pose an existential risk whereas, Artificial intelligence if realized to its full potential poses an existential risk.
- Cybersecurity has a lot of data points that are generated during the process of understanding data whereas, Artificial Intelligence can be used to manage and understand those data points.
- To understand Artificial Intelligence one must have knowledge of coding and algorithms whereas, one requires the knowledge of networking to understand Cybersecurity and its functions.
Conclusion
Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence are both applications of technology. Artificial intelligence uses the symbolic representation to achieve its objectives. The journey of Artificial Intelligence started in the 1950s and has seen a lot of ups and downs. It has seen a period when funding for its research program was reduced by governments.
The period was called the AI winter. Cybersecurity is the application and use of various methods to protect computer data, hardware, and network related to it. Cybersecurity became inevitable after the advent of the internet and smart devices that have made anything on the web accessible to anyone. Due to the potholes in regulation, it has become very difficult to ensure the safety of data and that is where cybersecurity comes into play.
References
- https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.5555/129914
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=HACaS635bYcC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=artificial+intelligence&ots=Km3ysRVN-R&sig=vkdPGFaJVnFyEfr6PJ8d8ssG4yk
- https://www.timreview.ca/article/835
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/1201257/