Rep. Eric Swalwell
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Artificial Intelligence is already playing a crucial role in boosting cybersecurity protections as the need to keep web spaces safe and mitigate threats from malicious actors grows.
Like any technological advancement, however, AI has its pros and cons. While it has made predicting and recognizing cyberattacks easier and faster, AI has also given malicious actors more tools to get more sophisticated in their methods.
In this segment, we explore the intersection between AI and cybersecurity and what’s on the horizon for combating digital threats.
Be sure to tune in to our accompanying podcast, where we’ll further dissect the issue.
The State of Play
AI has now become an integral component of cybersecurity defenses both within the federal government and in the private sector.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has created a roadmap for how AI can enhance cybersecurity capabilities, including offering increased protection from cyberthreats.
The agency is working alongside other federal units and industry partners to test out new AI tools for boosting cybersecurity. CISA is also working on expanding AI expertise in its workforce.
What AI has allowed cybersecurity companies to do is better predict and stop attacks earlier.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.)
On Capitol Hill, there’s been broad interest in how AI can improve cybersecurity in an increasingly digitally-motivated world.
The topic has come up in multiple committees and has prompted action by lawmakers to push federal agencies to incorporate AI for cybersecurity measures. For example, a bipartisan bill led by Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) would direct the Defense Department to use AI to enhance its cybersecurity programs.
There is also broad concern about cybersecurity threats from foreign actors, helped in part by continually evolving AI technologies. National security experts have recently warned about such growing threats. Just in early March, the Justice Department announced that it had charged several Chinese nationals associated with a hacking company over a global cyberespionage campaign aimed at American news organizations, government agencies and academic institutions.
The Trump administration: The new administration’s cybersecurity priorities are still unclear. President Donald Trump’s focus on cutting spending and shrinking the size of the federal bureaucracy could impact CISA’s workforce and ability to thwart cyberattacks. The agency’s staff doubled in size during the Biden administration.
More recently, Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the U.S. Cyber Command to pause offensive cyberoperations against Russia. The move adds to lawmakers’ concerns about national security and how the administration is approaching cybersecurity from a diplomatic standpoint.
Cybersecurity concerns aside, Trump has also shown a keen interest in advancing AI technology. In January, he signed an executive order aimed at boosting “America’s global AI dominance in order to promote human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security.” The order revokes unspecified Biden administration AI directives and instructs federal agencies to bolster the development of AI systems that are “free from ideological bias or engineered social agendas.”
The Spotlight Interview: Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.)
To understand how Congress is working on utilizing AI and cybersecurity, we spoke with Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.). Swalwell is the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee.
Swalwell told us one of his top priorities in Congress has been working to reform CISA. He introduced a bill last Congress that would formally establish CISA’s Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative and bring more structure to the JCDC. The bill passed out of the Homeland Security Committee with bipartisan support but did not get a floor vote.
The California Democrat also highlighted ways in which AI is being used across industries to guard against cyberthreats in his district, including in health care and the energy sector.
Swalwell also discussed the increased concerns over foreign cyberthreats and how combating them may change with the Trump administration.
“What AI has allowed cybersecurity companies to do is better predict and stop attacks earlier. On the flip side of the coin, AI also allows cyberactors to write better attacks more quickly. But it’s also a great tool.”
“If we get this right, AI can create more jobs than it displaces. We will protect against AI being a tool for misinformation and disinformation or violating our privacy and stealing intellectual property from artists and creators. That’s what we have to always be thinking through and protecting on the cyber front.”
Swalwell said he has concerns about the administration’s approach to Russia on cybersecurity. He also expressed concerns about threats from China.
“Russia is where many of these attacks are coming from. It’s a permissive environment. The Russian government does not go after these. Even nongovernment actors in Russia are protected, and we are not able to hit them.”
“China is also a very bad, destructive actor. But what we see is that it’s primarily coming from the Chinese government. With Russia, it’s really a two-front problem because you have independent actors operating freely in Russia, and then you have the Russians.”
“When I look at an administration that is essentially taking the watchdogs off the beat who are protecting us from Russia’s cyberattacks because we want to have a better relationship with Russia, that’s going in the wrong direction. You have to punch these guys in the face every single day — these cyberactors.”
Swalwell also raised the possibility of DOGE going after CISA cuts, which could impact funding for resources and protection programs for U.S. cybersecurity.
“If DOGE dismantles CISA, I want to make sure that whatever acts that they’re taking in the name of efficiency is not leaving our critical infrastructure and small businesses more vulnerable to attacks. I will root for efficiency, but if we’re talking about cuts that will lead to an immediate cost in cyberattacks, that’s not going to work.”
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Helping make AI systems secure for all
The best way to secure AI is with AI, and this requires collective action. In partnership with industry leading organizations, Google helped launch the Coalition of Secure AI (CoSAI) to foster an ecosystem of stakeholders that invest in AI security research, share expertise, and build open-source solutions. CoSAI will help individuals, developers, and companies adopt security standards and best practices to participate safely in the digital ecosystem.
The Outlook
Unlike most other issues that split Capitol Hill along party lines, the exploration of AI and cybersecurity is an area that enjoys bipartisan support.
Republicans and Democrats both continue to expand their interest in AI and cybersecurity and are pushing for legislation that can direct various agencies to increase their use of AI.
In the last Congress, former Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made it a priority to explore AI and its benefits. Schumer and others particularly called for urgent action, especially leading up to the elections when there were growing concerns about nefarious use of AI and cyberattacks to compromise the election systems.
That urgency didn’t lead to any substantial action, but the new Congress has lots of time to tackle the issue.
Lawmakers have introduced dozens of bills on the issue that are still awaiting action.
Earlier this month, the Energy and Commerce Committee advanced a series of cybersecurity and AI-related bills, including legislation that requests a submitted report from the Commerce Department that looks at the cybersecurity of mobile service networks. Reps. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) and Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) introduced the bill.
Another bill, spearheaded by Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.), would direct the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish a pilot program to explore the use of AI.
There’s also some action from the Trump administration as exploring the intersection between AI and cybersecurity becomes integral to the national security, business and the economy.
The White House, for instance, is putting together an AI Action Plan, seeking input from academia, industry groups, the private sector and others. It is currently accepting comments and public input until March 15.
The plan aims to show how the U.S. can compete against other nations when it comes to leading on AI innovation, including in the cybersecurity field, according to the White House.
Elsewhere, the Securities and Exchange Commission recently created the Cyber and Emerging Technologies Unit to focus on “combatting cyber-related misconduct and to protect retail investors from bad actors in the emerging technologies space.”
— Mica Soellner
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Google is investing in the next generation of cyber defenders
In collaboration with the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics, Google.org has supported 25 colleges, universities, and community colleges with up to $1M each to increase access and opportunities for students interested in pursuing careers in cybersecurity. Google is committed to supporting these institutions in building a competitive workforce with the experience needed to support cyber-resiliency and protect critical U.S. infrastructure – in hospitals, nonprofits, schools and utilities – from cyber attacks.
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