Fellow of the American Computer Association shares tips for avoiding AI scams

Professor Toby Walsh, Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery

Sharing with the press at the Science for Life seminar, Professor Toby Walsh commented that AI fraud is becoming a big challenge in many countries, including Vietnam.

According to Professor Toby Walsh, the simplest way to protect yourself is to verify the source of the information. He recommends that when receiving a call, email or text message claiming to be from a bank or financial institution, users should check by calling the hotline directly, avoiding responding to instructions from strangers.

He said that even video calls, emails or phone numbers can be faked with increasingly sophisticated AI tools. For his family, he applies a "secret question" that only family members know to authenticate identity and avoid being exploited. This is a method that, according to him, every Vietnamese family can also apply to increase information protection.

Professor Toby Walsh speaks at the Science for Life conference

Discussing more broadly the development of responsible AI, Professor Toby Walsh stressed that regulation must be mandatory. With so much profit from AI, he said that “only a strict legal framework can ensure proper behavior and balance public interest with commercial interests”.

Responding to a question about responsibility when AI makes mistakes, he affirmed: “AI is not human, it cannot be held responsible. It is the companies that deploy and operate AI systems that must be responsible for the consequences.” This is also the point that, according to him, national laws have not caught up with.

As Vietnam is drafting the AI Law, Professor Toby Walsh, who has many years of experience researching AI, noted that new laws are not always needed because many regulations on privacy or competition can already be applied in the digital environment. However, some new risks are emerging, such as users viewing AI as “therapists”, leading to psychological damage. According to him, AI companies must also be responsible when their products cause harm.

Professor Toby Walsh specifically mentioned the risk of children being negatively impacted by AI, similar to social media. He cited the example of Australia's upcoming age limit for social media use, and suggested that countries should have similar protections for AI.

Regarding data, the “fuel” of AI, he warned that too much laxity would be harmful. Using an author’s work to train AI without permission is “theft”, and without a solution like the music streaming model, authors will lose the motivation to create. Professor Toby Walsh noted that Vietnam must take drastic action to protect its own culture, language and interests in the AI era.

WING SUN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/vien-si-cua-hiep-hoi-may-tinh-hoa-ky-chia-se-bi-kip-tranh-lua-dao-su-dung-ai-post826821.html