Author: Dr Yang-Im Lee, Westminster Business School
I’m a researcher into marketing and management, so my most research journal article (alongside college Dr Peter Trim at Birkbeck, University of London) on Combining sociocultural intelligence with artificial intelligence to increase organizational cyber security provision through enhanced resilience may sound a bit science fiction and outside a ‘normal’ management sphere, but actually pertains to people on a larger scale. Our article outlines how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can help managers improve cyber security, and how they can do this by developing skills to be able to use cyber threat intelligence. By using precise processes, our work can help organisations and staff to defend themselves from different kinds of cyber-attacks.
Cyber-attacks have become a common problem and will only grow in the future, which leads to a need for a more proactive approach to managing cyber security. We also suggested in Strategic Cyber Security Management that cyber security managers be appointed at the heart of every organisation to try and avoid data breaches which can not only result in loss of reputation but also have a direct impact on loss of business, and significant financial regulatory penalties. With the amount of data that is shared online, preventing cyber-attacks and strengthening cyber security is now more essential than ever. The most effective way for managers to make informed cyber security-based decisions is to understand how different parts of the organization are connected and how decisions are made and implemented across the supply chain. For this, they need to understand what sociocultural intelligence, artificial intelligence and machine learning involve.
Sociocultural intelligence simply put is the process of directing and collecting data related to any of the social sciences, analysing, producing, and then sharing this data for situational awareness in any operational environment. By linking this with cyber intelligence, managers can see how AI functions and makes different decisions. What we need to bear in mind is humanoid AI is changing and developing at a rapid speed and so experts need to be consulted wherever necessary to truly understand the learning capabilities of AI and ML. For example, AI’s ability for deep learning is associated with human cognition and learning and the adaption of intuitively based understanding (e.g., Google’s DeepMind). Some applications such as Replica, Sophia, Ellie, Nao and Kasper recognize emotion and learn and adapt when interacting with humans and this can often be interpreted as empathy, which is an important ingredient of social interaction.
The best and strategic way to go about cyber security management is to try and see it as a shared activity involving the risk manager, the business continuity manager, the IT manager and the training manager. This should ensure that as well as utilizing AI to match patterns in attacks, it should also be possible to look at the human aspects and identify human vulnerabilities. An area of future interest is fake news/disinformation, which is increasingly being used to frighten and confuse people, and is becoming a growing problem.
What can cyber security experts do?
Cyber security experts can be employed to advise company personnel about how to use strategic intelligence and how to stay true to government policy so that there is a sense of compliance in how data is managed. Furthermore, cyber security awareness can be enhanced and reinforced through security training programmes and a security culture can be established that promotes co-operation among staff. This main benefit of such an approach is that it allows staff to develop a knowledge of risk management and crisis management, and will allow managers to deal with issues such as fake news, identity theft and ransomware. By having a good understanding of cyber threat intelligence, managers will be well positioned to anticipate and deal with threats as they occur and potentially stay ahead of the game. Managers should view the utilization of AI and ML in terms of fostering the strategic capability of the organization so that it improves the organization’s level of resilience.
Author: Dr Yang-Im Lee is a Senior Lecturer in Management and Marketing at the University of Westminster. She is a strategic marketing specialist with knowledge of how a national cultural value system transforms organizational culture. Dr Lee has published widely and has participated in a number of workshops involving the private sector and the public sector. Currently, she is researching various aspects of management policy in relation to risks in cyberspace, which is an area gaining more attention from both academia and the world of business.
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