Nicole Perlroth

We don't know exactly how these risks will materialize, but DeepSeek is already seeing wide global adoption, predominantly in Asia, but we're also starting to see it adopted here. More than a thousand enterprises, including some in the Fortune 500, have integrated DeepSeek into their operations. The bans are starting. Italy moved quickly to ban it.

We don't know exactly how these risks will materialize, but DeepSeek is already seeing wide global adoption, predominantly in Asia, but we're also starting to see it adopted here. More than a thousand enterprises, including some in the Fortune 500, have integrated DeepSeek into their operations. The bans are starting. Italy moved quickly to ban it.

Taiwan and South Korea have banned deep-seek from government and critical sectors like energy. Canada and India banned it from government. Here, we've banned it inside the Pentagon, the Navy. and other federal agencies like NASA. States like Texas and Tennessee are implementing their own bans. And Microsoft has now banned it for its employees and from their app store.

Taiwan and South Korea have banned deep-seek from government and critical sectors like energy. Canada and India banned it from government. Here, we've banned it inside the Pentagon, the Navy. and other federal agencies like NASA. States like Texas and Tennessee are implementing their own bans. And Microsoft has now banned it for its employees and from their app store.

No doubt others will follow suit. But again, it's still early days. We still have the ability to establish guardrails. We can and should limit how much autonomy we give these tools. And we should start now. But I also want to acknowledge that AI is more than a liability. For many of the experts I spoke with, it's also a beacon of hope.

No doubt others will follow suit. But again, it's still early days. We still have the ability to establish guardrails. We can and should limit how much autonomy we give these tools. And we should start now. But I also want to acknowledge that AI is more than a liability. For many of the experts I spoke with, it's also a beacon of hope.

Here's Nate Fick, our inaugural cyber ambassador who served under Biden.

Here's Nate Fick, our inaugural cyber ambassador who served under Biden.

What Nate's saying is yes, AI is already being used to hunt for vulnerable systems, to generate zero days and break in. But the same capabilities that can bind flaws can also fix them. all those bugs we introduced in our rush to move fast and break things, AI can do what our puny human mind seemingly cannot. Build secure code from inception.

What Nate's saying is yes, AI is already being used to hunt for vulnerable systems, to generate zero days and break in. But the same capabilities that can bind flaws can also fix them. all those bugs we introduced in our rush to move fast and break things, AI can do what our puny human mind seemingly cannot. Build secure code from inception.

And theoretically, it could even be used to go back and refactor faulty code at scale. All those sitting duck routers out there, the ones that reached end of life, the ones Chinese hackers are using right now to burrow into our infrastructure, AI could theoretically be used to hunt them, lock them down, and kick hackers out. Not yet, but that application is not far off.

And theoretically, it could even be used to go back and refactor faulty code at scale. All those sitting duck routers out there, the ones that reached end of life, the ones Chinese hackers are using right now to burrow into our infrastructure, AI could theoretically be used to hunt them, lock them down, and kick hackers out. Not yet, but that application is not far off.

And maybe most exciting of all, right now, AI tools exist that can spot the tiniest blips, the faintest signal, like a Volt typhoon hacker pinging a system every 90 days just to check they still have access. AI could help slash those dwell times from years and months down to days, maybe even down to minutes and seconds. Here's John Holquist.

And maybe most exciting of all, right now, AI tools exist that can spot the tiniest blips, the faintest signal, like a Volt typhoon hacker pinging a system every 90 days just to check they still have access. AI could help slash those dwell times from years and months down to days, maybe even down to minutes and seconds. Here's John Holquist.

Exactly how we let this shake out could determine whether AI revolutionizes our cyber defense or undermines it. In the early days of software creation in the internet, we never paused to imagine how all this digital connectivity could be used for information mayhem and mass destruction. Now, we don't have to imagine.

Exactly how we let this shake out could determine whether AI revolutionizes our cyber defense or undermines it. In the early days of software creation in the internet, we never paused to imagine how all this digital connectivity could be used for information mayhem and mass destruction. Now, we don't have to imagine.

And here's where I believe it's time for us to stop admiring the problem and actually move towards solutions. Because cybersecurity is national security. None of this will be easy. Addressing our cyber vulnerability is complex, arguably too complex to enumerate in a podcast. And if you really want my full thoughts here, I suggest you read the final 25-page chapter of my book.

And here's where I believe it's time for us to stop admiring the problem and actually move towards solutions. Because cybersecurity is national security. None of this will be easy. Addressing our cyber vulnerability is complex, arguably too complex to enumerate in a podcast. And if you really want my full thoughts here, I suggest you read the final 25-page chapter of my book.

This is how they tell me the world ends. Solving our digital predicament will involve hard compromises to our economy, to the way we do business, to our way of life. It will involve identifying and defending our weakest links, the so-called target-rich cyber-poor among us, the local water treatment facility that may not have the money or the people to meet this challenge today.

This is how they tell me the world ends. Solving our digital predicament will involve hard compromises to our economy, to the way we do business, to our way of life. It will involve identifying and defending our weakest links, the so-called target-rich cyber-poor among us, the local water treatment facility that may not have the money or the people to meet this challenge today.