China has stolen so much data from US companies and institutions that it is virtually impossible to exploit without artificial intelligence. But now that AI and machine learning – the process by which computers, once set up, learn autonomously – are sufficiently advanced, Beijing could begin using the information in its possession to identify key people to spy on and intercept . This, in a nutshell, is the US intelligence accusation against the Asian giant, illustrated in a long article published today in the Wall Street Journal. According to FBI investigations, citizen and corporate complaints, cybersecurity research, and industry experts, such a large amount of information cannot be used without defining schemes, patterns, and elements of regularity.
The email attack of 2021
That China is using AI to explore the sea of information is the belief of Brad Smith, President of Microsoft, who gave an interview on this topic to the US business newspaper. “Initially the big question was whether anyone, including the Chinese, could use machine learning and essentially artificial intelligence to bring these data sets together and then use them for targeting,” Smith said. “Over the last two years, we've seen evidence that this actually happened.” As an example, Smith cited the 2021 China-linked attack on tens of thousands of servers running Microsoft's email software. “We saw clear evidence of very specific targets,” he said. “I think we should expect to see AI being used to further refine and improve target selection,” he added.
US data stolen from China
But what data is it? U.S. authorities believe Chinese intelligence officials are linking stolen sensitive information from health insurers and banks – including fingerprints, foreign contacts, financial debts and personal medical records – to that of U.S. spies. “China can use artificial intelligence to build a dossier on virtually any American, with details ranging from their medical records to credit cards and passport numbers to the names and addresses of their parents and children,” said Glenn Gerstell, former general counsel of the National Security Agency. However, from an offensive weapon, AI can become a defensive tool: “We believe that if we do our job well and are determined to do so, we can use artificial intelligence as a stronger defensive shield than an offensive weapon,” Smith said. “And that’s exactly what we need to do.”
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