Hack the Future: AI Meets Security

What happens when you partner with a client to create access to STEM education for young women and girls? You have the opportunity to empower the next generation of women in tech! World Wide Technology's Ina Poecher and Ashley Schrage recently connected with 129 young women in India—students who are paving the way in AI/ML, computer science, and data science. 

Ina, a Data Scientist at WWT, led the group through a dynamic session exploring real-world applications of AI in security, engaging in the threat landscape, and AI-powered defenses. The questions that came in were thoughtful, curious, and deeply insightful, with one student inquiring about the importance of guardrails and how to improve AI to reduce risk and exploitation. There was a sense of shared excitement around AI and its security capabilities. The spark of innovation as ideas flowed and minds lit up with one participant remarking, "The future of AI is powerful, but only as strong as its security foundation." 

 This event wasn't just "all talk" and no action. The students were given access to WWT's AI Prompt Injection Lab, where they gained hands-on experience with today's leading AI technology. Prompt Injection, sometimes called jailbreaking, refers to an LLM being manipulated by an attacker through carefully crafted prompts or inputs. These inputs cause the LLM to conduct the attacker's malicious intentions unknowingly, and the LLM will often behave in ways that it would not normally. 

This lab introduces users to the risks of direct and indirect prompt injection to Large Language Model (LLM) systems through real-time queries of an LLM to see how the models can be tricked into revealing private information if given the correct prompt. With over 330 lab launches during the session, it was clear these future leaders weren't just attending—they were diving in.  

At World Wide Technology, we believe that focusing on STEM education and workforce development is one of the key ways we strive to make a new world happen. Partnering with clients, partners, and like-minded organizations helps us make a positive impact on communities around the globe. This experience reflects the best of what WWT stands for: leadership, partnership, and purpose-driven technology.