Google highlighted its use of generative AI in cybersecurity at its Google Cloud Next conference in San Francisco. With the advent of ChatGPT, which made generative AI more accessible, there has been a surge of interest in using this technology to tackle cybersecurity challenges. Google made several key announcements at the conference, introducing new features and capabilities for customers. This article explores the main security updates and trends discussed at the event.
Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai opened the conference by discussing the widespread influence of AI across various industries and sectors. Google has long been recognized for its search capabilities and technological expertise. However, it faces significant competition in the cloud platform market from Microsoft and Amazon Web Services (AWS). To differentiate itself, Google is placing emphasis on its work in AI, particularly generative AI, which can generate new data based on patterns learned from existing data.
A recent research report from TechTarget’s Enterprise Strategy Group and the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) highlighted the scarcity of security professionals in the industry. There is a shortage of skilled individuals to fill the growing number of cybersecurity jobs, posing challenges for companies and their ability to protect their assets. This is where Google’s leadership in AI and its aim to democratize AI for cybersecurity can make a significant impact.
At the conference, Google showcased various customer stories and demos to demonstrate how its vision of democratizing AI can be realized. One of the highlights was Duet AI, Google’s intelligent chatbot assistant, which can assist developers in their daily tasks. It can save developers time by automating research, code generation, and application migration, among other things. For security teams, Duet AI can help with deployments, configuration checks, issue understanding, and application security.
The research report by ESG and ISSA revealed that cybersecurity professionals are finding their jobs increasingly difficult due to rising complexity and workloads. Generative AI can help address these challenges. Kevin Mandia, CEO of Mandiant (a part of Google Cloud), discussed how their products leverage generative AI to enable security teams to detect, investigate, and respond to threats more efficiently.
Google Cloud announced the application of Duet AI across several products to aid security teams. This includes Mandiant Threat Intelligence, which delivers threat intelligence based on breach analytics, Google Chronicle to speed up security operations, and Google Security Command Center to analyze security findings and prioritize remediation actions. A demo showcased how a security analyst can use Duet AI to quickly investigate security events and gain actionable insights.
Other security announcements at the conference included Mandiant Hunt for Chronicle Security Operations, agentless vulnerability scanning integrated into Security Command Center, and Cloud Firewall Plus, which adds advanced threat protection and next-generation firewall capabilities to Google Cloud’s distributed firewall service.
The conference also provided an opportunity for Google Cloud’s partners to showcase their products and services. Google’s Security AI Workbench, powered by its specialized security foundation model, Sec-PaLM 2, offers an extensible platform for AI-driven security functionality for both Google’s applications and partner/customer apps.
Overall, Google’s focus on generative AI and its commitment to democratizing AI for cybersecurity has the potential to greatly impact its business and attract new customers. By leveraging AI technologies, Google aims to simplify and enhance security operations, enabling companies to protect their assets more effectively in an increasingly complex threat landscape.