One of my favorite 80s movies is Say Anything, and I’m borderline obsessed with the scene where Lloyd Dobler is explaining to his girlfriend’s dad that kickboxing is the wave of the future. In a world where the boom box was the most amazing portable speaker, Lloyd had no idea what the future would have in store for us—and that his dream of not having to process anything could come to fruition with artificial intelligence. AI bots have become so ubiquitous that we are increasingly seeing headlines showcasing really unique use cases for AI chatbots.  

Tech Crunch reported, “80% of people who’ve used OpenAI’s ChatGPT for mental health advice consider it a good alternative to regular therapy.” Property management is also benefitting from AI tools that are helping landlords and tenants with everything from scheduling repairs to answering leasing questions. There are so many bots available that experts at CNET have reviewed multiple chatbots and surprisingly determined that, though similar in many ways, “each has its own unique characteristics.” 

One concern, though, is the “consequences of blurred reality,” which came to light in the aftermath of Bland AI’s bot going viral this spring. And the risks are not limited to bots telling lies or hallucinating.

Pymnts.com reported, “Microsoft has unveiled details of a technique called “Skeleton Key,” which can bypass ethical safeguards built into AI models businesses use worldwide.” In a Security Intelligence blog post, Charles Owen-Jackson warned of misinformation and cautioned against trusting AI-generated content too much. Owen-Jackson is not alone. A Drexel University News blog penned by Britt Faulstick also question the trustworthiness of AI-driven large language models (LLMs). 

To learn more about AI, chatbots, and LLMs, visit the RSAC Library where you can find sessions from RSA Conference 2024 as well as recordings of new content posted year-round. Interested in sharing your expertise? You can submit to become a contributor on any topic that interests you.  

Now let’s take a look at what else made industry headlines this week.

Jun. 28: ChatGPT will be integrated into Audi’s vehicles starting in July.

Jun. 27: An AI-powered vehicle inspection system, UVEye, can now assess the condition of vehicles in minutes.

Jun. 27: Designed Receivable Solutions recently suffered a data breach that impacted 585,000 individuals.

Jun. 26: A new credit card web skimmer, Caesar Cipher, is targeting multiple content management systems.

Jun. 26: A new Android malware known as Snowblind is abusing a security feature to bypass security and gain access to user’s data.

Jun. 25: Pentagon released its new strategy to drive interoperability and information technology across the Defense Department.

Jun. 25: An unknown threat actor may have accessed critical information on CISA's Chemical App.

Jun. 24: “A cyber attacker compromised Indonesia’s national data centre, disrupting immigration checks at airports, and asked for an $8 million ransom,” Reuters reported.

Jun. 24: A Kayenta resident sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to two charges related to hoax calls the elicited police SWAT responses.