Cyber offence and defence
reinforcing loop · 4 steps · Trace on the map →
The cycle
- Attackers hand hacking to agentsAI-run cyber operations
- Defenders use AI to find and patchAI cyber defence
- Both sides want stronger models
- Capability gets controlled as strategicExport controls
What drives it
Each side’s use of AI raises the stakes for the other, and governments start treating frontier models as strategic assets.
What breaks it
Defence gets cheaper if AI finds and patches flaws at scale before release, as DARPA’s challenge suggests it can.
What to watch
Share of disclosed vulnerabilities found by AI. Reported AI-run intrusions.