Humans, not rogue AI, are still the biggest cybersecurity risk to energy systems
Cybersecurity experts argue that human error and outdated infrastructure remain greater threats to energy systems than rogue AI. While generative AI acts as a force multiplier for bad actors, the primary vulnerability lies in aging power grids not designed for modern internet connectivity.
Why it matters
Understanding the actual risks to critical infrastructure is essential for national security and preventing large-scale power outages.
Before recent high-profile hacks raised the specter of AI possibly “killing all humans,” our energy systems were already disturbingly vulnerable to cyberattack — and the risk is growing.
“We were always prey. We were just kind of surviving at the appetite of our predators,” Joshua Corman, executive in residence for public safety and resilience at the Institute for Security and Technology (IST), told me last year. At the time, I was preoccupied with a Department of Homeland Security warning that Iranian actors and sympathizers could target the US with cyberattacks.
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