Who doesn’t know it by now, the most well-known little AI helper in everyday working life: ChatGPT. The innovative system with a combination of advanced artificial intelligence and human-like chat communication opens ChatGPT, a revolution in everyday business. It offers users new possibilities and at the same time presents new challenges, risks and opportunities in this step.
In this blog post we want to deal with the use of ChatGPT in general. We also look at the associated benefits, opportunities, risks and threats that come with technological development.
ChatGPT: The hype about speed, productive work and automation
The progressive development of artificial intelligence has led to a large number of applications and innovations, so-called AI or AI tools, in recent years. One of these breakthrough innovations is ChatGPT, a text creation system based on the concept of the generative pre-training transformer. This technology will fundamentally change the way we interact with computers.
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is an interactive chatbot developed by OpenAI to have human-like conversations and answer users’ questions. Depending on the subscription and model, ChatGPT is based on GPT-3.5 or GPT-4.0. With the wide range of knowledge from various databases and results from the World Wide Web, ChatGPT can provide information on various topics.
How does ChatGPT work?
ChatGPT works based on machine learning trained on a huge amount of text data. It uses Transformer architectures to generate natural language and respond to text-based human interactions. Its ability to produce contextual responses makes it a powerful tool for communication. For example, ChatGPT can be used as a virtual assistant to help customers with technical support requests or to answer general questions. The input or the question of the user is referred to as a “prompt”.
KI and AI tools, such as ChatGPT and your chances and advantages in everyday life
IT security is now more than ever a central issue, both for companies and for private individuals. The increasing number of cyber attacks and the increasing complexity of attack methods require innovative solutions to effectively counter this threat. In this context, AI tools and ChatGPT can also be considered part of the solution.
The advantages and opportunities with ChatGPT
In this section you can find out what advantages or positive aspects ChatGPT can have for you when you use it:
Research and Writing
ChatGPT can provide you with supportive assistance with various tasks: from writing texts, essays, speeches and general research to summaries on a desired topic. Even the improvement of existing texts can be checked with ChatGPT and optimized accordingly for spelling mistakes and grammar.
Coding and Debugging
Developers in particular can look forward to using ChatGPT in everyday work. Tiresome research for the code examples or the required “snippets” for the implementation of the current project are provided by the AI. ChatGPT can also detect errors in the code, such as logical errors or syntax errors, and point out where the error is or how you can make your code more efficient. This means that vulnerabilities are found before they are passed on.
Detect and analyze Cyber Attacks
ChatGPT can help you analyze and predict past and historical attacks. The analysis gives you an answer as to which tactics attackers used and you can upgrade, promote and strengthen your IT security with the appropriate protective measures.
Perform forensic analyzes and find causes
ChatGPT can also be used to investigate security incidents that have already occurred and to determine the cause, why the previously integrated defense measures have not worked and what steps should be taken to close these gaps. Without AI tools, forensic analysis and manual correlation of security data is tedious and very time consuming.
Configure and automate IT security
The desire for automation in relation to the everlasting and increasing mass of data handling in IT is understandable. The challenge here is to “get it up and running” efficiently and flawlessly. The basis here is that most security tools and systems are properly configured. ChatGPT can help set up automated system updates and rule building of firewall, intrusion prevention systems and server configurations. It is also possible to uncover errors in the configuration and thus minimize the weak points.
Uncover knowledge deficits and eliminate skills shortages
Because ChatGPT can access a large number of knowledge-filled databases that a single person cannot learn, store and use due to the mass of information. Thus, AI tools can help as gap sensors in case of uncertainty and research in order to implement the task accordingly. In addition, there is a shortage of skilled workers in some industries, which can be partially remedied by using ChatGPT by automating processes and reducing the dependence on manual interventions. Thus, IT departments can concentrate on the demanding tasks and the administrative ones are taken over by artificial intelligence.
Also Read: ChatGPT: The Revolution That Could Change The Internet
AI Tools Disadvantages, Risks and Threats of Artificial Intelligence
Despite its technological advances, ChatGPT is still in its infancy. The concerns about using such tools are not unfounded.
Disadvantages of AI tools
In the following section we go into the disadvantages of using such AI tools:
Lack of human intuition
Although ChatGPT is capable of analyzing large amounts of data, the tool lacks the human intuition and experience that is essential when assessing the relevance of the relevant information. As a result, there is a risk that important aspects will be overlooked or underestimated.
Manipulation by criminals
ChatGPT can be used by criminals to optimize attacks and bypass security measures. The developed technology of AI tools can be misused to generate fake messages or phishing attacks that are difficult for humans to distinguish from the real communications. See the Risks and Threats section below for more information.
AI tools and privacy
The use of such AI tools in IT security requires access to large amounts of data, usually including sensitive customer data. From the point of view of data protection, this represents a fundamental potential danger if this information is “tapped”, falls into the wrong hands or is used improperly.
What many users do not know about ChatGPT is that the publicly accessible version of ChatGPT does not keep the entered data for itself, but it is used for future inquiries.
Therefore, users should also receive appropriate and appropriate security training and education on the use of the tool, ChatGPT.
ChatGPT: Risks and Threats of AI Tools
Not only private individuals, companies and cyber security experts use the efficient and generative AI tools for their purposes. We are talking about hackers and cybercriminals who use AI tools to further their criminal intentions.
The following scenarios are possible:
Creation of malware and mutations
As described above, ChatGPT is a text creation tool, so it can also reproduce code for malware and create code for cyber criminals. It gets the data for this from the databases of the World Wide Web. Even though ChatGPT’s OpenAI developers have defined this request as explicitly illegal or malicious, it is relatively easy for users to circumvent it.
The clue here lies in the wording: hackers simply ask ChatGPT to generate a penetration test in order to optimize and convert it accordingly. Hackers can easily circumvent a company’s security measure by developing and using different mutations of the same malware. ChatGPT can easily generate another malware version, automatically and on demand.
Phishing and social engineering attacks taken to a new level
Attackers usually use phishing emails as a first step to infiltrate the corporate network. From this point, different criminal strategies for follow-up attacks can be driven. There are even service providers on the Dark Web who offer this service as “Access-as-a-Service” with good quality. As with so many things here, it’s a question of price, nothing more.
What currently speaks for the human factor is that both the current technology with or without the combination of human intuition are able to intercept attacks. Therefore, the criminals either launch this attack en masse (billions of times) (via botnets ) or at great expense with human interaction.
The fear here is that with the help of artificial intelligence, convincing AI texts can be generated in the shortest possible time that fit the alleged victims perfectly, so that they can be found on the appropriate media such as e-mail, direct messages, telephone calls, chatbots, social media Vote comments and fake websites and fall for cyber criminals’ scam.
API attacks: find and exploit vulnerabilities
The use of APIs in companies has increased exponentially in recent years. So, logically, the number of API attacks is also increasing. According to API security firm Salt Security, the number of unique attackers targeting customer APIs increased by 874 percent in just the last six months of 2022.
Cyber criminals could use AI technology to find API vulnerabilities in the company’s IT system. This is usually a process that takes a lot of time and energy, but is radically shortened by ChatGPT. Attackers simply ask ChatGPT to examine API documentation, gather information and create API queries to uncover vulnerabilities more efficiently and effectively, and thus exploit them. What was actually intended to reveal the vulnerabilities is used against the company and the users in this scenario and is now presented as a disadvantage.
Prejudice, ethical concerns and spreading misinformation
One of the fundamental negative aspects is the susceptibility to prejudice. After all, ChatGPT can only output the answers that the system has access to and was “fed” with. If the data are based on prejudices or half-truths, the already existing inequalities increase not insignificantly, but with potentially dangerous consequences. This means that cybercriminals can also provide ChatGPT with false information and manipulate the bot’s outputs.
In addition, there are general concerns about privacy and security. Assuming that the GPT model collects and stores information, there is a risk that this data could be stolen, tampered with or misused unless adequate protection is in place.
Thus, hacktivists, terrorist organizations, hate groups and even state-funded attackers can use ChatGPT to sow discord by undermining democratic values, spreading conspiracy theories and computer-aided propaganda (e.g. in the form of “deep fakes” ) .
Conclusion: future and outlook – can the symbiosis work with AI tools?
AI or KI tools such as ChatGPT are only tools that we can use for our purposes and goals. They are not fundamentally black or white, good or evil. In this respect, the coin has two sides and it depends on how ChatGPT is used by the user for his purpose.
As described above in the opportunities and advantages, AI tools such as ChatGPT offer increasing potential for different and versatile applications. Routine work can already be largely or even completely automated with an AI solution. Likewise, tasks that include regular analysis of large amounts of data and rapid detection of possible attacks on companies and private individuals. As you can see, a lot is possible these days!
However, the risks associated with this technology cannot be ignored. Cyber criminals can also use this tool, the AI and AI tools for themselves and their goals and thus cause damage to you and your company.
Programs and systems that are based on the principle of artificial intelligence are based on a large knowledge and data depot and can therefore appear quite convincing by arguing logically. These AI bots can impersonate real humans at the command and programming of the attacker, creating authentic content on a range of topics. When certain keywords or topics are triggered on social media, this created person bot can respond using ChatGPT to track and push specific actions and tasks.
In summary, it will be an exciting and interesting development that we will see in terms of artificial intelligence and AI content. In this regard, careful consideration of the opportunities and risks is of great importance in order to use tools such as ChatGPT responsibly and effectively.
Also Read: ChatGPT Tools Useful For Human Resources