The conference, organized by White Hat Desert in collaboration with Msheireb Properties and Qatar Scientific Club, is the largest of its kind in Qatar.
The rapid rise of artificial intelligence has increased the complexity of potential cyber threats in addition to its benefits, experts said on Thursday at the fifth annual White Hat Desert Cybersecurity Conference at Msheireb in Doha.
Organized to combine industry expertise and public engagement, the event brought together high-level local experts as well as cybersecurity professionals from across the region to discuss modern trends and ways to mitigate threats potential.
To bridge the gap between the general public and industry-centric discourse, a cybersecurity village, live hacking competitions, technology demonstrations, gaming competitions, drone races, robotics exhibitions and experiments virtual reality events were organized on the site.
Most of the discussions focused on challenges and trends related to AI.
Ed Sleiman, Microsoft’s chief regional security advisor, told Doha News that the AI boom raises questions on both sides for the cybersecurity industry.
“AI can very easily detect and understand what we do and even predict our movements. This is why AI is used in particular to understand what hackers are doing and predict an attack before it happens,” explained Sleiman.
“But the problem is also that hackers use AI,” he added, referring to the threats.
Conference panel discussions focused on modern and emerging trends in digital defense, cloud security, and raising awareness of modern threats created by rapid technological evolution.
“This conference is a platform to share the latest trends in cybersecurity so that we can combat any cyber threats that may arise,” Carlos Rebollo, head of cyber strategy at Malomatia, told Doha News.
Malomatia presents itself as the largest supplier of services and technological solutions in the country.
“We follow the same principles as the Qatar National Vision 2030 and we support all lines of work aimed at making Qatar more resilient and secure,” Rebollo added.
