Two of the biggest problems in government technology are about to collide, a situation that requires the full attention of public sector leaders, according to conference speakers. State of play of GovTech 2024 conference in Kansas City, Mo.
Few government technology topics command as much attention from IT professionals artificial intelligence and cybersecuritytrends reinforced by two recent ones Investigation reports.
But as the promise of AI grows, so does the danger that criminals will find ways to profit from AI deployments, turning innovation and progress into opportunities for data breaches, theft, electoral manipulation and other forms of expensive goods, dangerous and embarrassing malfeasance.
This was one of the main messages this week at the conferencewhich attracted more than 160 people from the public sector, the supplier world and the investment world.
“The pace of change is rapid, but the danger is making sure it’s used responsibly,” said Tom Lynch, CIO of Cook County, Illinois.
All types of public sector tasks, from law enforcement to authorization to community engagement, benefit from the technological support of generative AI, with other advances of this type which will certainly follow in the coming years.
“AI is within everyone’s reach,” said Gail Roper, CIO of Montgomery County, Maryland.
This includes criminals.
As Lynch pointed out in a presentation, “bad guys” are adopting technology faster than public sector technology departments, giving criminals a “legacy advantage.”
You don’t have to be a hacking expert to have access to cutting-edge AI tools, he said. He gave an example of the growing threat: While Cook County’s internal phishing tests have generally shown improvements in security and increased threat awareness among employees, the “last few months” have shown that criminals are making significant strides in deceiving people through phishing.
“It’s a free-for-all, the Wild West,” he said, before outlining the stakes. “We have the most sensitive data of any industry in the world.”
This does not mean, of course, that the public sector is helpless when it comes to securing its AI efforts.
Data management, including training models for AI, is a critical security task, according to conference speakers. That essentially means keeping tabs on how people are using data within an organization, Roper said.
Working with and paying attention to suppliers is also key, Lynch said.
“Vendors are extremely important because they have access to our data or hold elements of our data,” he said.
