South Korea's President Calls for AI-Powered Cyber Defences After a Run of Data Leaks

South Korean president Lee Jae Myung has told his cabinet that the country needs AI-powered defensive tools to counter attackers who are using AI. He pointed to a recent series of personal information leaks at financial and public institutions, saying circumstances indicate artificial intelligence was used and that the incidents are causing great concern and anxiety among the public. The Register links his remarks to the breach at e-tailer Coupang and last week's raid on local banks that exposed customer data.

President Lee asked the relevant authorities to quickly establish what happened and to deploy the people and resources needed to minimise damage. He also called for security capabilities that can detect attacks in advance and block them pre-emptively. He urged ministries to inspect security systems across national core infrastructure and the private sector, and to put necessary measures in place straight away. In his words, society's security approach must be completely innovated to suit the AI era, with public and private players working together.

The Register describes the statement as a major and very public policy position. Turning it into action will be complex given its broad scope, and the outlet notes that nobody thinks it is possible to defeat cybercrime. The same article also reports that Australian politicians questioned OpenAI's Chief Strategy Officer, Jason Kwon, about how the company's agents accessed a government medical records website.