The FBI and the White House sent a warning Tuesday about how technology is being used against us, calling it the “new Cold War.”
Artificial intelligence is hot and full of promise, but according to security experts that gathered at the Hoover Institute, it can be exceptionally dangerous in the wrong hands.
"These technologies are of a level and of an importance both in terms of the opportunity they present and the dangers they present of something like we've never seen,” said Condoleezza Rice, director of the Hoover Institute.
Experts say the biggest security threat comes from China.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
"There is no greater threat to innovation than the Chinese government, and it is a measure of how seriously we take that threat that we have chosen to come together,” said FBI Director, Christopher Wray.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration issued new restrictions on companies exporting A.I. technology to China and other countries.
"Yeah, Scott, this is definitely the new Cold War,” said Patrick Harr, SlashNext CEO.
Tech
Bay Area cybersecurity companies, like SlashNext, say this “cold war” is supercharged with technology.
"Because back in the day, it was more, ‘can I put more bombs and more missiles that point to you?’ Whereas these days it's truly digital, where the information is, and also the spy component,” said Wray.
Reports of A.I. exports to China being limited is already being felt in Silicon Valley, where Santa Clara-based NVIDIA, which makes A.I.-related chips, lost close to $60 billion in stock market value Tuesday alone.
