One of the keynote speakers at the 23rd RNP Workshop, Walter Willinger, chief scientist at NIKSUN, opens the second day of the event (24), at 9 am, with a lecture on artificial intelligence (AI) in the area of computer networks. In an interview with RNP, Willinger shared some of his expectations for the session 'AI and Cybersecurity: The Emperor has no Clothes', which he will lead at the Workshop, and predictions for the advancement of research and development of AI technologies.

RNP: You are one of the main guests of the 23rd WRNP. What do you plan to comment on in your presentation?

Willinger: My presentation will be one more caveat about the current use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for cybersecurity and its practical impacts.

RNP: You are a renowned expert in Artificial Intelligence (AI). What will be possible to develop in this area in the next 30 years?

Willinger: I have a special interest in studying what advances in AI/ML research are needed to solve many of the pressing problems arising in the area of network security, including ways to achieve cybersecurity more autonomously”.

RNP: What are the limits of Artificial Intelligence?

Willinger: The humans! Ultimately, people create source code. (Including code that can prompt computers to create code too!)

RNP: Are there business sectors where AI should not be used?

Willinger: I find the frequent use of black box models that no one can explain in terms of how such black boxes make certain decisions, especially high risk decisions in areas like criminal justice, health care, credit bureaus, etc. very pronlematic.

RNP: What are the main impacts of AI in the areas of health and education in countries like Brazil?

Willinger: In fact, I don't know precisely the case of Brazil, but based on experience in other countries like the US, the impacts are mixed. On the one hand, we see greater efficiency in healthcare and greater interest in studies related to AI/ML. Otherwise, we are witnessing ongoing (and often difficult to pinpoint) racial and gender biases, including rising social inequality and the digital divide.

RNP: The 23rd WRNP seeks to bring the public closer to innovations in research and development of information and communication technologies in Brazil and worldwide. What challenges do you foresee in fulfilling this mission?

Willinger: I believe that more efforts will be needed to educate the public about the concrete benefits and real dangers of using AI/ML in critical decision-making processes that permeate society.

RNP: The advances in computing are remarkable. What news can we expect in this decade?

Willinger: Greater automation in various scenarios, but also a greater number and type of failures. To mitigate such failures, more research will be needed to understand and deal with the unintended consequences of this automation made possible by advances in computing.

RNP: How to encourage young people to choose science and technology as areas of study and work?

Willinger: Appeal to the curiosity of young people. Encouraging students to present on how to use deep learning models is one thing. Asking them to find out how a neural network model makes its decisions requires an entirely different mental model.

Registration for the 23rd WRNP is open

In addition to Artificial Intelligence and cybersecurity, the 23rd edition of the WRNP also addresses other current topics, such as metaverse, neutral chip, quantum technologies and deep techs. For the full event schedule, click here. Registration is open and can be done through this link.

The RNP Workshop is a free event aimed at researchers, professors, undergraduate and graduate students, as well as IT and innovation professionals. It takes place in parallel with the Brazilian Symposium on Computer Networks and Distributed Systems (SBRC), organized annually by the Brazilian Computer Society (SBC) and, in 2022, will be held online for the third year in a row.