Cybersecurity is a big business, and it costs a lot of money to big companies every year. But as hackers become more inventive and data becomes more and more digitized, it is logical that cyber threats increase.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can prevent attacks from occurring. Blockchain could make our systems more secure. But beyond our current weaknesses, we have another problem: an overwhelming lack of talent in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
An EY report found that 56 percent of AI senior professionals believe that lack of talent is the biggest barrier to implementing artificial intelligence, and unemployment in cybersecurity is virtually non-existent, just not enough qualified people.
That leaves a talent gap in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence that puts companies in a bind. Technology is there, but people are still missing. Those with the desired skills are falling apart in options, with so many job offers at hand. But companies do not know what to do with important positions almost impossible to fill, and the final consumer has to support the prices.
"This year, while companies designed strategies to integrate AI into their operations," said EY Global Innovation Technologies leader Chris Mazzei, "they were hampered by the shortage of experts."
So, how can blockchain help?
Decentralize cybersecurity solutions
When most people think of consumer cybersecurity, think of antivirus, firewall or perhaps protection against ransomware. But in the business space, there are a multitude of tools used to protect companies. The average consumer, of course, does not have access to them.
For example, can your antivirus tell you if you logged into your Gmail in the United Kingdom, and then someone entered your Dropbox account in Argentina? No. But, business cybersecurity can. HEROIC is using blockchain to decentralize and democratize cybersecurity solutions, making them available to the masses.
"Our mission is to protect the information of the world, of all people, not just the largest companies," says Chad Bennett, founder and CEO of HEROIC. "The cybersecurity of the future will be decentralized and democratized, using IA and the chain of blocks."
The HEROIC ecosystem will be open to both developers and companies so they can build their own smart solutions. And as the network grows, it naturally becomes more secure.
The HEROIC model allows anyone from around the world to join the network, which acts as a bridge over the talent gap in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
They can unlock important skills of people and places that were previously off the radar. This is the premise of PolySwarm, also, another decentralized market for cybersecurity experts and enthusiasts to build anti-malware engines.
Former McAfee Antivirus CIO Mark Tonnesen is on the advisory board. He says: "Blockchain could be the answer to the perpetual scarcity of security talent." Polyswarm aims to invite anyone, including cybercriminals, to the table to work on solutions to threats. And they will use cryptocurrencies as a reward in the process, making it competitive and rewarding.
Scott Schober, author of Hacked Again and president / CEO of BVS Systems says: "An incentive base to make things happen is extremely effective. Blockchain is a fundamental disruptor and a technology that changes the game, and having incentives, changes the way we make connections on a much faster scale. "
Access to education and verification of credentials
There are many solutions to fill the talent gap in cybersecurity, but what about the AI? Blockchain can be instrumental in this area too, in a couple of ways. Providing access to education and teaching the skills that people need in this new world is one.
The Institute of the Future and the ACT Foundation launched Edublocks, for example, which are essentially fragments of an hour of learning from virtually any source, shared through a chain of blocks.
Blockchain can also help recruiters find the right candidates more easily. Thanks to the ability of blockchain to verify documents and ensure that they can not be manipulated, recruiters will no longer have to waste time verifying credentials.
Therefore, an IT company that wants to hire artificial intelligence personnel can use blockchain to maintain the confidence that the "certificates / certifications" of the candidates have not been altered.
The gap becomes shorter
With decentralized initiatives to share resources with consumers, the ability to obtain talent from around the world and bonus programs to unite hackers to their own struggle, there will be more experts in the cause. At least for cybersecurity.
AI presents more challenges. It seems that, for now, blockchain can help free up time to learn the skills we need and focus them on more creative tasks, before the robots take over.