From hundreds of panels and lectures to often original exhibitions on the exhibition floor, artificial intelligence and his potential impact on the cybersecurity sector is the hot topic at this year’s RSA conference in San Francisco.
Tens of thousands of data security professionals, business moguls, educators, government leaders, privacy advocates and others flocked to the city’s Moscone Center to learn the latest cybersecurity technologies and trends. About 650 people are expected to speak at more than 400 panels, lectures and other sessions before closing Thursday afternoon.
Here’s a look at what’s happening now:
It’s Over: Alicia Keys Brings Down the House
May 9, 2024 at 2:50 p.m. PT
What does a 16-time Grammy Award winner have to do with cybersecurity? Not much, but a mini Alicia Keys concert was a spectacular way to close out this year’s RSA conference.
In one of the most entertaining closing speeches in recent conference history, Keys performed some of her biggest hits, including If I Ain’t Got You and New York State of Mind, as well as a cover of the Eurythmics song Sweet Dreams, to a packed house.
While the RSA conference typically focuses on the cybersecurity industry, its closing keynotes often stray into the world of entertainment. Recent performers include comedian Seth Meyers and magicians Penn and Teller.
Keys, whose Broadway musical Hell’s Kitchen is currently up for 13 Tony nominations, was backed by a small group of musicians but filled the stage with a stunning vocal performance.
While reactions among the massive crowd of cybersecurity professionals and other attendees ranged from sitting quietly to dancing in the aisles, most people were on their feet by the session’s end. And even those sitting far back held their phones above their heads to try to take a photo or video.
Intermission: Ted Lasso Creator Talks Positivity
May 8, 2024 at 11:30 a.m. PT
The character of Ted Lasso and his seemingly unflappable positive attitude was partly a response to the increasingly mean and sarcastic tone that the TV sitcom characters were taking in the years before the series premiered, the creator of Lasso, Jason Sudeikis, to RSA participants on Wednesday.
In a morning speech, Sudeikis told a packed convention hall how the character Lasso came to be and what impact he has had on television and society ever since.
The story of a seemingly unqualified American football coach who moves to England to manage a British football team was originally created in 2013 to promote NBC Sports broadcasts of British Premier League football.
Jason Sudeikis talks about the origins of Ted Lasso.
At the time, Lasso’s character was funny, but he wasn’t the overly nice, positive guy that fans of the Apple TV Plus show love, Sudeikis said. It wasn’t until years later that he realized the character could contrast with television characters he saw as ignorant but arrogant.
“I was much more interested in someone who was ignorant but curious,” Sudeikis said, adding that too often sitcom characters are made fun of by saying mean things that are considered acceptable, whereas in real life, we know otherwise.
Many fans of the series, which first hit screens during the COVID-19 pandemic when many people needed a mental pick-me-up, say watching it simply helps them feel better. Although not everything that happens during its episodes is happy, there is an underlying tone of hope and positivity that always endures.
And few things symbolize that better than the handmade “Believe” sign that hovers above Lasso’s desk throughout the series. Sudeikis, who came up with the idea for the sign, said he has seen copies posted everywhere from the White House to classrooms to children’s cancer wards.
“I’m amazed at the reaction to this sign,” Sudeikis said. “It’s been really humbling and profound.”
Safe and secure deployment of AI is essential for critical infrastructure, says Mayorkas
May 7, 2024 at 8:30 a.m.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said his agency is focused on working with the tech industry to ensure AI is implemented in ways that protect the rights and safety of Americans, as well as to preserve the critical infrastructure that runs the country.
Speaking at an RSA morning address and later in a roundtable with reporters, Mayorkas expressed optimism about what could be accomplished by the recently formed AI security committee.
The group, led by Mayorkas and which met for the first time on Monday, will advise the federal government on how to best protect the nation’s most critical services from AI-related attacks.
It brings together government and technology companies at the forefront of AI development like Google, Microsoft and OpenAI, as well as executives from critical infrastructure companies like Delta Airlines and Northrop Grumman and leaders in civil rights and private life.
The group’s goals are to ultimately establish guidelines for the safe and secure implementation of AI and create a national plan, he said.
As part of this effort, the federal government is recruiting an army of technology experts and others with AI-related skills to come work for the federal government. Even though Mayorkas admits he can’t compete with big tech for paychecks, thousands of people have already applied.
“The voice that one has in public service is a voice that is representative and representative of millions of millions of people,” Mayorkas said, emphasizing that decisions made by public officials also impact millions of people.
“It’s a tremendous responsibility and a tremendous opportunity.”
Technology, security must play leading role in diplomacy, says Blinken
May 6, 2024 at 3:55 p.m. PT
Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the RSA conference in San Francisco on Monday.
As the distinction between the digital and physical worlds continues to erode, the role of technology and its security is becoming an increasingly critical part of global diplomacy, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
“Security, stability and prosperity are no longer just analog issues,” Blinken said during his keynote speech at the RSA conference, adding that the choices security professionals make today “will ripple over generations.
In a wide-ranging speech, Blinken spoke about the need for the United States to be a leader in everything from semiconductor production and training a high-tech workforce to ‘establishing development rules for cutting-edge technologies such as AI And quantum computing.
He noted that if a potentially dangerous technology like genomic surveillance were to be dominated by US rivals, its abuse could become commonplace, causing irreversible damage.
Blinken also said that promoting and protecting democracy around the world will continue to depend on the participation of U.S. technology companies, particularly those in the security sector. He highlighted the help many U.S. companies provided to Ukraine to strengthen their networks and boost communications before and after Russia invaded the country.
The Legacy of WarGames
May 6, 2024 at 3 p.m. PT
Monday afternoon’s keynotes kicked off with a surprise appearance by actor Matthew Broderick, who famously played a teenage hacker in the 1980s cult classic WarGames.
Broderick said that the plot of the film, in which his character accidentally hacked a military supercomputer while researching new video games, this may seem ridiculous to today’s security experts, but it prompted then-President Ronald Reagan to convene members of his cabinet, Congress and the President of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss the possibility of such a thing. arrive.
What Reagan discovered was that the problem was much worse than that, Broderick said. And, ultimately, Reagan’s interest in the film is credited with helping pass the first presidential directive on computer security.
We will update this story with more coverage from RSA throughout the week.
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