Washington, February 14 (IANS). India and Israel took an important initiative in Silicon Valley to give new impetus to cooperation in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cyber security. Along with the opportunities provided by the rapidly growing AI technology, experts also discussed its potential dangers.
Over 130 startup founders, investors and cyber security experts attended the ‘India-Israel AI-Cybersecurity Connect’ event held in Palo Alto on 11 February. The event was jointly hosted by the Consulate General of India in San Francisco, the Consulate General of Israel and Venture Dock.
The main objective of the program was to strengthen cooperation in AI, cyber security and other critical technologies between India, the United States and Israel. The central theme of the discussion was ‘AI for cyber security and AI for cyber security’.
Consul General of India, San Francisco, Dr. K. Sreekar Reddy mentioned the long relations between the two countries and the growing technological partnership. He said that India, America and Israel are strong centers of innovation and the development of responsible AI and cyber security is necessary not only for national interest but also for global welfare.
Reddy also mentioned the upcoming AI Impact Summit to be held in New Delhi, which is expected to be attended by more than 100 countries. The focus of the conference will be on ‘People, Planet and Progress’, ensuring widespread access to healthcare and education through AI.
Marco Sermonetta, Consul General of Israel’s Pacific Northwest Region, described the progress of India-Israel diplomatic relations established in the early 1990s as remarkable. He said cooperation between the two countries in the field of AI, education and entrepreneurship is growing rapidly, including joint boot camps and hackathons. Silicon Valley is a natural platform to strengthen institutional collaboration.
The event’s keynote speaker, Jai Chaudhary, CEO of cybersecurity company Jascaler, described AI as a transformative but potentially dangerous technology. He said cyber security experts are like ‘heart surgeons’ who require deep expertise.
Chaudhary warned that AI could prove to be a bigger technological wave than the internet, mobile and cloud. While it boosts productivity and automation, it also opens up new possibilities for cyber attackers. He said that in the future, companies may deploy 50 to 100 AI agents for each employee, and if these agents get hacked, the entire enterprise system could be at risk.
Speaking on startup culture, he said the basic mantra of success is hard work and passion. He said that a person becomes what he reads, sees and the people he lives with.
In a panel discussion on cyber security in the AI era, experts also expressed concern over the increasing cyber risks associated with digital transformation. Guru Chahal (who is a partner at Lightspeed Ventures) said that the biggest problem of the cyber security industry is the shortage of skilled professionals, entrepreneurs who will overcome this shortage with the help of AI models can create the biggest companies of the future.
–IANS
VKU/AS
