The Internet has many issues. Privacy. Lack of encryption and its governance. Questionable marketing techniques. A misinformed average user. Does anything sound familiar? These disputes are as old as the Internet itself. 

An article written 22 years ago highlights all these problems. But today, we have a new tool that can help fix them: Artificial Intelligence. 

1996 to 2018: What's Changed?

That article, written in Wall Street Journal in 1996, depicts a world in which ”...many on-line users remain ill-informed about exactly what personal information is available on the Internet...”. 

Today, 91% of Americans agree that people have lost control over the collection and usage of personal information. 

Numerous dangers to data privacy were threatening identities and bank accounts back then - and user information can still get compromised today. For instance, personal data is sold at anything from $50 for health records to $1000 for bank account information on the deep web.

Back in 1999, only 4% of the world’s population was online. Today the number has reached 49%, and it just keeps growing. The migration from the offline world was followed by a rapid development of numerous online services and the advancement of connected devices. 

The growth was so fast that most of the new industries didn’t add adequate processes to ensure privacy and security. 

Life in the Rough Part of the Town

Data leaks. Malware. DDoS attacks. Ransomware. These are all things that more and more people have had personal experience with. For example, the ransomware “Nyetya” was installed on more than 1 MM computers. 42% of organizations experienced "burst" DDoS attacks in 2017. 

Infections can be caught by merely opening the wrong email. Sharing information with a seemingly reputable company online could result in sensitive data leaks. Any device could become a zombie in a botnet without obvious signs of it. 

Some parts of the Internet definitely seem like a Wild West. We do have places that have patched together a few laws for precautions. However, the majority of people, as well as companies, are still at risk when they go online. 

So, we have ended up in a situation where we cannot really disconnect, but we are all fully aware of how risky that is. The concept of simple privacy in the future is starting to seem like a utopian fiction. 

AI Transforms Modern Industries

So what do we do with the issues that are old enough to order a drink in the USA? 

Fixing technology problems with a different type of technology isn't exactly novel. Still, we have a new, very powerful tool that could truly be transformative. It isn’t surprising that Artificial Intelligence provokes very heated discussions. 

AI is often seen as a marketing tool, an alternative term for statistical analysis, or an overhyped magical cure for all the tech problems. But the key message is that after years of development, machine learning algorithms finally are delivering valuable results.

It is used in search engines, image classification, and voice recognition. It is growing in medicine, communications, transport, and gaming. Even in its early stages, AI is delivering results that are hard to compare with things human analysts come up working alone. 

With the help of AI algorithms, JPMorgan Chase’s new software that reviews commercial loan contracts reduced the work-time from 360,00 hours to a few seconds. Udacity used AI to train its salespeople to be 54% more effective. Smartphone speech recognition can write messages 3x faster than humans.

The discussion is shifting: we are moving away from using AI as a buzzword towards embracing it as a tool. 

AI Advances Traditional Services and Delivers Results

Algorithms powered by AI are beneficial because of three simple reasons:

• Speed. AI algorithms can be trained very quickly; it beats collecting rules defining malicious actors.
• Precision. Copious amounts of data can be analyzed easily; therefore more precise results are delivered. It also enables personalization. 
• Privacy. You don’t need to use large amounts of data, or intrusive methods such as DPI, to provide the results.

Of course, it all depends on the data used. In order for the data to be useful, you do need people to label it, and the more diverse your data is, the better.

Using Artificial Intelligence can help business to provide better service for their users while keeping their privacy intact. It can help create that balance that legacy strategies are missing.

Find out more how CUJO AI solutions solve 22-year-old problems and ensure security as well as privacy online: 

About CUJO AI

CUJO AI is the leading artificial intelligence company providing network operators AI-driven solutions, including AI security, advanced device identification, advanced parental controls, and network analytics. CUJO AI Platform creates intuitive end-user facing applications for LAN and wireless (mobile and public wifi).

Each solution can be implemented as a white-label offering. CUJO AI was recently listed as a “Vendor to Watch” and a “Cool Vendor in IoT security” by research company Gartner. In May 2018, the company has closed a strategic Series B round, led by Charter Communications, valuing the company in access of $100M. 

For more information about CUJO AI, please visit cujo.com