A hacking competition shows the power of China’s approach to AI
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The offices of cybersecurity company Tenzai in Tel Aviv, Israel. The firm won the HackerOne contest.
PHOTO: AVISHAG SHAAR-YASHUV/NYTIMES
Cade Metz
- Chinese AI startup Z.ai's open-weight models enabled cybersecurity firm Tenzai to win a major three-month hacking contest by efficiently finding vulnerabilities in live networks.
- Open-weight AI systems allow unrestricted use, raising concerns about malicious hacking but also empowering defenders to enhance cybersecurity drastically.
- Experts predict more cyberattacks soon due to accessible powerful AI, but believe defensive capabilities will improve to balance the risks over time.
AI generated
This summer, a cybersecurity company called Tenzai entered a three-month-long hacking contest, racing to find vulnerabilities in computer networks operated by government agencies, banks, hotels, airlines and other businesses.
The contest, called HackerOne, has become a real-world proving ground for the latest artificial intelligence technologies, including Claude from Anthropic and GPT from OpenAI. Over the past year, these technologies have improved to the point where they can pinpoint holes in computer networks with stunning speed, fundamentally changing the nature of cybersecurity.