AI Roadmap: CISA's Code for Safety

The Gist

Strategic initiative. CISA's AI Roadmap focuses on enhancing cybersecurity and protecting critical infrastructure.
Ethical priorities. Emphasizes responsible, ethical AI use aligned with legal and privacy standards.
Aligning efforts. Roadmap complements Biden's executive order, promoting global AI safety and ethics.

On Tuesday, Nov. 14, DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released its initial Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence, leading the way to ensure safe and secure AI development in the future. The Roadmap is described as a “whole-of-agency” plan designed with three goals in mind:

Promote the beneficial uses of AI to enhance cybersecurity capabilities
Ensure AI systems are protected from cyber-based threats
Deter the malicious use of AI to threaten the critical infrastructure Americans rely on every day

CISA's Plan: AI for Enhanced Security

Jen Easterly, director of CISA, stated in the announcement that artificial intelligence (AI) holds immense promise in enhancing our nation’s cybersecurity, but as the most powerful technology of our lifetimes, it also presents enormous risks. “Our Roadmap for AI, focused at the nexus of AI, cyber defense, and critical infrastructure, sets forth an agency-wide plan to promote the beneficial uses of AI to enhance cybersecurity capabilities; ensure AI systems are protected from cyber-based threats; and deter the malicious use of AI capabilities to threaten the critical infrastructure Americans rely on every day," said Easterly.

CISA Aligns AI Strategy With Biden's Executive Order

CISA's announcement comes after President Biden's October 2023 Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence, which aims to promote global AI safety standards while safeguarding U.S. infrastructure, reducing risks of weaponization, combating IP theft and attracting skilled talent. CISA's roadmap delineates five strategic areas to guide its AI-driven initiatives in cybersecurity, outlining a responsible and concrete approach to integrating AI technologies.

A Converging Focus on AI Safety

Additionally, CISA’s roadmap was announced the same day that Open AI CEO Sam Altman stated in an interview with the Financial Times that the company was officially working on the next generation of its generative AI model, GPT-5. In the interview, Altman said that he currently has no idea what GPT-5 will be capable of. In a precautionary statement to Financial Times that obliquely reiterated the need for CISA's roadmap, Altman said "Until we go train that model, it’s like a fun guessing game for us. We’re trying to get better at it, because I think it’s important from a safety perspective to predict the capabilities."

CISA's AI Roadmap Prioritizes Privacy, Ethics

The Roadmap discloses that CISA will use AI-enabled tools to strengthen cyber defense and support its mission. By using AI, CISA believes that it will ensure the responsible, ethical, and safe use of AI that is legally consistent with the Constitution and all applicable laws and policies. Privacy is a core issue with CISA, and part of the goal is to ensure that the use of AI remains compliant with laws regarding federal procurement, privacy, civil rights and civil liberties.

AI Essential for Future Cybersecurity

Joseph Thacker, AI and security researcher with SaaS security pioneer, AppOmni, told CMSWire that the plan to use AI to improve security is amazing. “New AI tech has the potential to greatly enhance our ability to detect and respond to cyber threats,” said Thacker. “There are already so many companies building AI Security Analyst Agents. It’s going to be vital to use AI for securing digital assets in the future.”

CISA's AI Roadmap for Secure Digital Future

CISA’s comprehensive roadmap lays out a strategic framework for harnessing AI to bolster cyber defense, protect critical infrastructure and secure digital assets. Amidst a backdrop of the seemingly unrestrained evolution of AI technologies, CISA's roadmap emphasizes the necessity of responsible AI regulation.