The chain of personal information leaks caused by cyberattacks shows no signs of stopping. Most recently, on Friday the 16th, it was announced that a cloud service used by Nikkei Inc. (Nihon Keizai Shimbun) had been subjected to unauthorized access, resulting in the exposure of approximately 1.83 million personal records.
In fact, late last month, the company had issued a warning to us—and others—to be on the lookout for suspicious emails originating from them, as the email accounts of some of their employees had been compromised by third parties.
I have thus found myself witnessing, firsthand, the reality that major corporations are increasingly becoming targets for cyberattacks and unauthorized access.
Why, then, has there been such an explosive surge in cyberattacks of late? One reason is the proliferation of AI. The pace of these attacks has clearly accelerated, suggesting that automation driven by AI is advancing.
At present, however, AI is merely being used to replicate conventional types of cyberattacks; we have yet to see attacks that are uniquely sophisticated or specialized—the kind that only AI could devise. The real danger to watch out for in the future is the emergence of AI-driven attacks that transcend human capabilities.
Even the current, large-scale damage is the result of AI simply automating and launching waves of traditional-style attacks. What will happen when AI begins to develop its own unique, highly sophisticated attack methods? The very thought is chilling.
It is likely that individual companies or private citizens will be unable to cope with such threats on their own. Ultimately, it will require a response from national governments—or international cooperation among nations—to prepare for AI-powered cyberattacks.
In the past, leaks of personal information have led to a proliferation of fraudulent emails and scam calls. With the addition of AI, we can expect the emergence of new, even more cunning and malicious forms of fraud.
In short, the public cyberspace is set to descend into even greater chaos. Consequently, it is likely that cyberspace will become increasingly “privatized”—fragmented into more private, restricted environments. (Kei Kitajima)

※Translating Japanese articles into English with AI