Through the AI Cyber Defense Initiative, we are continuing our investments in AI-ready infrastructure, releasing new tools for defenders and launching new research and training on AI security. These commitments are designed to help AI secure, empower and advance our collective digital future.
1. Secure. We believe that AI security technologies, just like other technologies, must be secure by design and by default – otherwise they could make the defender’s dilemma even worse. This is why we started the Secure AI Framework as a way to collaborate on best practices for securing AI systems. To leverage these efforts to foster a more secure AI ecosystem:
- We continue to invest in our secure, AI-ready global data center network. To help turn the tide in cyberspace, we must make new AI innovations available to public sector organizations and businesses of all sizes and across all sectors. Between 2019 and the end of 2024, we will have invested more than $5 billion in data centers across Europe, helping to ensure secure and reliable access to a range of digital services, including broad generative AI capabilities like our Vertex AI platform.
- We announce a new “AI for Cybersecurity” cohort of 17 startups from the UK, US and EU as part of the AI for Cybersecurity program at the Google for Startups Growth Academy. This will help strengthen the transatlantic cybersecurity ecosystem through internationalization strategies, AI tools and the skills needed to use them.
2. Empower. AI governance choices made today may change the landscape of cyberspace in unintended ways. Our societies need a balanced regulatory approach to the use and adoption of AI to avoid a future in which attackers can innovate but defenders cannot. We need targeted investments, industry-government partnerships, and effective regulatory approaches to enable organizations to maximize the value of AI while limiting its utility to adversaries. To help give defenders the advantage in this fight:
- We increase our 15 million dollars Google.org Cybersecurity Seminar Program to cover all of Europe, initially announced at GSEC Málaga Last year. The program, which includes modules focused on AI, helps universities train next generation of cybersecurity experts from underserved communities.
- We are open source Magica new AI-powered tool to help defenders through file type identification, an essential part of malware detection. Magika is already used to protect products such as Gmail, Drive and Safe Browsing, as well as by our VirusTotal team to foster a safer digital environment. Magika outperforms conventional file identification methods, delivering 30% improved overall accuracy and up to 95% greater accuracy on traditionally difficult to identify, but potentially problematic, content such as VBA, JavaScript, and Powershell.
3. Move forward. We are committed to advancing research that helps drive breakthroughs in AI-based security. To support this effort, we are announcing $2 million in research grants and strategic partnerships This will help strengthen cybersecurity research initiatives using AI, including improving code verification, improving understanding of how AI can contribute to cyberattack and defense countermeasures, and developing large language models that are more resilient to threats. The funding supports researchers at institutions including the University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon and Stanford. This builds on our ongoing efforts to boost the cybersecurity ecosystem, including our $12 million commitment at the New York Search System last year.
The AI revolution is already underway. While people rightly applaud the promise of new medicines and scientific advances, we are also excited about the potential of AI to solve generational security challenges while bringing us closer to the safe, secure, and trusted digital world we deserve .
