ChatGPT poses serious security risks; ditch passwords

THE ChatGPT craze has swept the world. Within just a few months of its release, the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot app has reached 100 million active users, making it the fastest-growing consumer application ever launched – surpassing even social media platforms TikTok and Instagram. What’s more, Google, Microsoft, and Baidu have also announced plans for AI-enhanced search, taking the AI space race into a new phase.

While many have sung praises about its benefits (including the ability to parse through data noise to find sophisticated attack signals), cybersecurity experts have also warned that the increasing use of such AI-powered technology comes with risks – and could facilitate the work of scammers and cybercrime syndicates. With phishing scams in Singapore jumping 41 per cent from year 2021 to 2022, how much more risk can chatbots pose?

Gearing up for the AI arms race

Technology is a double-edged sword. When used for good, ChatGPT has the potential to save businesses valuable time, money, and labour, thanks to its content-creation and language-processing abilities. It can also aid in learning – Singapore’s education system has chosen to embrace the technology, with appropriate guidance and frameworks, rather than crack down on it completely.