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AI in Cyber Operations: Ethical and Legal Considerations for End-Users

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Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity

Abstract

This chapter addresses several of the principal ethical challenges confronting current and proposed new uses of artificial intelligence (AI) undertaken to enhance cybersecurity and conflict operations. Current uses of modular AI—namely AI tailored for specific tasks and involving closely-supervised machine learning—already pervade both defensive and offensive cyber operations with varying degrees of efficiency and success. Representative samples of these are illustrated and discussed, highlighting some of the moral challenges accompanying each. The chapter then concludes with proposed uses of general AI, including deep learning enabling expanded autonomy, along with the attendant risks and prospective moral dilemmas arising from such uses within the cyber domain. Our specific focus will be the impact, both favorable and unfavorable, on the character and capacities of the individuals and teams of professional experts who will constitute the end-users of AI-enhanced cybersecurity measures.

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Correspondence to Kirsi Helkala .

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Helkala, K., Cook, J., Lucas, G., Pasquale, F., Reichberg, G., Syse, H. (2023). AI in Cyber Operations: Ethical and Legal Considerations for End-Users. In: Sipola, T., Kokkonen, T., Karjalainen, M. (eds) Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15030-2_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15030-2_9

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