The Swisscom report “Cyber Security 2018: Artificial Intelligence, Malware & Cryptocurrencies” , which has just appeared, sees some very positive effects on cyber security in the development of AI technologies, but also accepts that such technologies may help potential attackers by providing them with intelligent tools. Nor have the experts given the all-clear for other Industry 4.0 technologies. Although attacks using 3D printing and IoT-based DDoS attacks do not actually occur as frequently as feared, most known threats still remain relevant.

Apart from its use as a tool for criminals, artificial intelligence is also a controversial issue for the public overall, as a survey by the agency group SYZYGY reveals: although 38% of those surveyed use artificial intelligence themselves, in the form of digital assistants for example, four out of ten respondents also see it as a threat to the survival of humanity and one in four is worried that intelligent algorithms will make their job superfluous, at least in part, in the next five years. A similarly varied picture emerges when it comes to concrete threat scenarios. On the one hand, security researchers hope to be able to identify threats faster and more clearly with the aid of artificial intelligence. On the other hand, criminals also make use of intelligent algorithms to, among other things, make such identification more difficult .