California Launches AI Cyber Defense Program to Shield Critical Infrastructure From Hackers

California Building 'AI Cyber Defense Fund' to Protect Critical Infrastructure From Hackers

California, the cradle of the American AI industry, is taking cybersecurity into its own hands. Following a slew of recent reports of AI systems autonomously gaining access to the open internet during internal tests and hacking into third-party organizations, the state says it plans to launch an "AI Cyber Defense Program" geared towards protecting critical infrastructure. The attacks -- executed in separate incidents by models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta -- were a wake-up call for many in tech and policy circles, alerting them to the fact that the means of breaching existing cybersecurity systems are evolving and spreading much more quickly than adequate defensive measures. "The digital environment is rapidly evolving before our eyes," California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement. "Attacks are faster, more sophisticated, and more frequent, putting at risk the basic systems families count on. California can either wait for the next crisis, or we can build the kind of defenses this moment demands. We are choosing to build." The program will use AI to identify and patch cybersecurity vulnerabilities in state and local infrastructure under the supervision of a team of AI Cybersecurity Officers, one of which will be appointed per state agency, according to the announcement from Newsom's office. No timeline was provided for the implementation of the program, and Newsom's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. AI risk to critical infrastructure and beyond On top of the novel cyber threat posed by rogue AI, the technology has also become a powerful new weapon in the arsenal of human hackers. Bloomberg reported last week, for example, that multiple major U.S. hedge funds and private equity firms had been targeted by fraudsters who used AI to mimic the voices of real people in an attempt to swindle them out of funds. In July, federal and Minnesota state officials accused Iran of backing an attempted cyberattack on dozens of municipal water systems within the state. While it's not yet clear if AI was used in any capacity during those attacks, they underscore the vulnerability of critical infrastructure in an era when many systems are managed digitally. Trump, without citing any kind of evidence, blamed the cyberattack on the government of Minnesota and its "corrupt governor" Tim Walz, who ran against the president in his 2024 campaign as Kamala Harris' running mate. In its announcement of the new AI Cyber Defense Program, Newsom's office calls out the Trump administration for rolling back federal support for cybersecurity defense precisely when the AI threat has gone from being some vague future possibility to a legitimate, actual threat. The president's proposed federal budget cuts for the 2027 fiscal year include a $707 million reduction in funds to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), an agency operating under the Department of Homeland Security. CISA first drew Trump's ire in the aftermath of the election in 2020 when its former director, Christopher Krebs, refuted the president's completely unsubstantiated claims that the election had been rigged. Trump fired Krebs in November of that year, before leaving office. The document outlining the proposed budget cuts for next year is dripping with petty malice towards CISA, claiming the agency "was more focused on censorship than on protecting the Nation's critical systems, and put them at risk due to poor management and inefficiency..." Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be granted an additional $18.5 billion and $10 billion, according to the president's proposal, which still needs to be approved (or rejected) by Congress.

Gavin Newsom Launches AI Cyber Defense Program: 'AI-Enabled Cybersecurity Threats Are No Longer Hypotheti

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) on Monday launched what California calls a first-in-the-nation AI Cyber Defense Program to use artificial intelligence to strengthen protections for critical infrastructure and essential services. California Launches AI Cyber Defense Program In a post on X, Newsom announced the AI Cyber Defense Program, saying California will strengthen cybersecurity protections for critical infrastructure and essential services as AI-powered threats become more sophisticated. He said, "As Trump cuts federal cybersecurity funding, California is stepping up." "We're launching a first-in-the-nation AI Cyber Defense Program to protect our critical infrastructure and keep essential services safe," he added. Newsom further said, "AI-enabled cybersecurity threats are no longer hypothetical and we won't wait for Washington to act." AI Cybersecurity Risks Reshape Enterprise Technology The incident followed similar safety concerns involving Anthropic and OpenAI. Meanwhile, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon urged corporate leaders to join the Alliance for Critical Infrastructure, which sought to strengthen defenses against AI-related cyber, physical and geopolitical threats. The group had contacted more than 40 companies across critical infrastructure sectors. White House Excludes Open-Weight AI Models The White House reportedly told leading AI companies that open-weight AI models would be excluded from the government's planned voluntary safety testing program. Open-weight models allow users to download, modify and customize the underlying technology. Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Photo courtesy: Sheila Fitzgerald / Shutterstock Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs To add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here.