AI is shaping the future - Part 2: The challenges that come with it

Potential comes with risk

It is undeniable that artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly proving to be a powerful tool to support workers and facilitate human life. However, these technological products are like a “double-edged sword” when they are exploited by bad guys to commit fraud and attack in cyberspace.

In the warning bulletins from the Department of Information Security (Ministry of Information and Communications) or the Cyber ​​Security Association, many recorded cases of fraud using AI technology were cited. For example, Ms. Nguyen Thanh T - an office worker in Hanoi, once chatted with a friend via Facebook Messenger, the friend said goodbye and ended the conversation but suddenly returned to text, asked to borrow money and suggested transferring money to a bank account. Although the account name matched her friend's name, Ms. T was suspicious so she requested a video call to verify. The friend immediately agreed but the call only lasted a few seconds due to "intermittent network".

Seeing her friend's face in the video call and the voice was correct, Ms. T transferred the money. However, it was only after the transfer was successful that she realized she had fallen into the hacker's trap.

Not only Ms. T, many other victims, friends and relatives, were also scammed in the same way. The amount of money the bad guys have scammed from impersonating with the Deep fake tool and voice has reached tens of millions of dong.

Another typical example of using AI to appropriate assets is the case of Mr. NTH, when using an Android phone, the scammers set up a trap with instructions to install a malicious link. From there, they took control of the phone and bank accounts to transfer money to a third party. In addition, the malware also automatically contacted available contact information and sent automatic messages asking for money transfers.

Mr. NTH said that the impostor claimed to be a "police officer" and called his phone number, asking for verification of personal identification information. Because he was old, unfamiliar with technology and gullible, the victim passed his phone to a third person to ask him to follow the scammer's instructions, thereby downloading and installing the malicious application "DichVuCong.apk" on his phone.

Mr. Tran Nguyen Chung, Head of Information System Security Department (Information Security Department) said: When AI technology is developed, detecting and distinguishing between real and fake content on cyberspace will become more difficult and anyone can become a target, a victim of cyber attacks by criminals using AI technology. However, whether or not to become a victim depends on each person's equipping with the necessary knowledge and information.

This AI technology fraud situation is not only happening in Vietnam but also in many countries around the world. Currently, agencies, organizations and large technology corporations are working together to find measures and technical solutions to detect and prevent it from the root.

In the current period, the important measure is to promote propaganda, raise people's awareness of methods, tricks and ways to recognize and deal with this sophisticated form of forgery to help reduce and limit the impact of deepfake on activities in cyberspace. Proactively issue widespread warnings on mass media when there are new developments and forms of fraud.

“In case of receiving threatening calls with sensitive images or videos, people need to stay calm, verify and carefully research the origin of the images and videos,” said Mr. Tran Nguyen Trung.

According to the research report “Identifying risks to the global economy in 2024” by the University of Economics (UEB) under the Vietnam National University, Hanoi, one of the risks affecting the global economy is the risk in the technology sector. The report stated that in the context of the rapid emergence of AI, management policies have not been able to keep up with the development of AI. The misinformation that AI provides, especially in a year with many elections in the world like this year, has been and is posing many issues related to security, politics, defense and peace globally.

Speaking to Tin Tuc newspaper reporters, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Hoang Giang said: “The Prime Minister issued Decision No. 127/2021 on the national research strategy, development and application of artificial intelligence until 2030. To implement, the Ministry of Science and Technology as well as other ministries and branches have been implementing drastically and synchronously such as the Ministry of Justice researching the legal aspect. The Ministry of Information and Communications researching digital technology. The Ministry of Science and Technology has also supported, researched and developed industry 4.0; Researched and applied information technology development, serving the development of digital and smart cities. However, with rapid and strong development, the negative aspects and risks of AI have also appeared when it is abused to become a tool for cybercriminals for the purpose of fraud, impersonation, threats, property appropriation, etc.

Up to now, along with research, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Government are also actively building a legal framework, learning from the experiences of other developed countries so that the AI ​​field in Vietnam will promote its potential, promote development as well as strictly control, ensure ethics and humanity in the field of artificial intelligence.

The rapid development of AI tools has raised many issues regarding human rights, ethics, privacy, information security and legal responsibility. Compared to the world, Vietnam is still in the early stages of AI development. Therefore, there is a need for specific AI regulations and policies that are suitable for all aspects of life, economy and society in Vietnam.

Urgently issue legal framework

Managing the dark side of AI is also a topic that has been discussed in some countries. The European Parliament has approved the world’s first set of basic rules for regulating artificial intelligence. Many technology experts believe that this set of rules will help the EU achieve both goals: minimizing the negative impact of technological development on users as well as catching up with the dominant position of key competitors in the market.

Shortly thereafter, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on artificial intelligence (AI), providing global support for an international effort to ensure that this new technology benefits all countries, respects human rights, and is “safe, secure and trustworthy.”

Mr. Vu Ngoc Son, Technical Director of National Cyber ​​Security Technology Joint Stock Company, said: “AI is a technology that serves human interests, supporting the automation of many different stages of operation. This is a powerful tool, used for many different purposes such as providing Q&A services, software production, etc. However, AI also has a negative side when it falls into the hands of bad actors with the aim of creating fraudulent content and malicious codes to attack users. Accordingly, AI is not a tool specifically for product creation or crime, but the important issue is “how to use” AI.

“I think that sanctions and legal corridors have not really met the speed of AI development. We will need time to build and introduce policies to limit the risks of AI when used for bad purposes, affecting human rights as well as security, order and social safety issues,” said Mr. Vu Ngoc Son.

Dr. Dang Minh Tuan, Director of CMC ATI Institute, said: “On the one hand, we still have to continue to research and develop new technologies, update and study tricks to use AI for bad purposes. On the other hand, we also have to promote honesty in science and in work. Accordingly, there must be adjustments and investments in content and specific policies for this tool in Vietnam. In particular, we can also use AI tools to detect malicious content and code. AI is like a “double-edged sword”, creating a continuous, continuous, and continuously improving process with the ultimate goal of serving human interests”.

Experts say that the requirement is to control the development of high-tech products responsibly, because the inability to regulate and master technology will lead to unpredictable consequences, causing losses to the economy and affecting each individual as well as the whole society.

Issuing specific and transparent regulations will not only help prevent and minimize the risks that AI may cause, but also help Vietnam attract attention and investment from the world's leading technology enterprises, promoting the development of the domestic information technology and AI industry.

Final article: Parallel development and control of AI

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/cong-nghe/ai-dang-dinh-hinh-tuong-lai-bai-2-nhung-thach-thuc-di-kem/20240614100957238