Confidence Staveley: Cybersecurity

How can we initiate a global conversation on cybersecurity and gender issues and bring perspectives from different stakeholders to a common platform to:

This talk provides a peek into the present and near future where AI is not just a defensive tool, but a powerful weapon in the hands of cybercriminals. Confidence Staveley paints a picture of an increasingly automated cyber threat landscape, where AI-driven attacks challenge the very foundations of current cybersecurity defenses. 

The talk begins by exploring how AI has changed cybersecurity by enabling faster threat detection, predictive analytics, and automated responses, these same capabilities can be exploited by the bad guys as well. She uses powerful storytelling skills to detail how AI is being weaponized to conduct highly sophisticated attacks, such as AI-generated phishing campaigns that are difficult to distinguish from legitimate communications or create malware that continuously evolves to avoid detection by traditional security tools.

A particularly thought-provoking aspect of the talk is the discussion on the potential for AI to independently find and exploit vulnerabilities in systems, evolving independently from its creators. This raises the unsettling possibility of AI-driven attacks that are a new form of digital life with its own agenda—a scenario where the hacker is not a person but an autonomous entity.

If AI becomes the hacker, traditional defense mechanisms will likely become obsolete.

In our technology-shaped world, where “seeing is not believing”, digital trust is the foundation that ensures progress and innovation continue. It’s not just about keeping data secure or complying with regulations; it’s about creating a digital environment that people can truly rely on. This talk will argue that rebuilding digital trust means designing technology that feels safe, experiences that resonate, and solutions that empower everyone. Because without digital trust, the future of technology loses its potential to meaningfully transform our world.

How can we initiate a global conversation on cybersecurity and gender issues, and bring perspectives from different stakeholders to a common platform to:

Look at the relevance of gender disparities/inequalities in cybersecurity and define the need to focus on actionable measures to close the gender workforce and awareness gap.

Highlight current good practices on how women are being included in cybersecurity roles across sectors.

Discuss the various challenges faced by women as cybersecurity professionals and internet users, and possible ways to address them.

Outline the advantages of including women in the cybersecurity workforce.

Define what governments, civil society, and the private sector can do to make this space more diverse, inclusive, and safer.

Given the rapid growth in cyber-attacks and digital crime vis-à-vis the current acceptance of digital trading, this session will seek to answer the following questions;

How effective are our cyber security measures? How can data protection impact the digital economy? Cybercrime is one impediment to a thriving digital economy. How can professionals utilize international, regional, and private sector cooperation to address the cybercrime pandemic? How could developing countries build capacities, including skills, to use new and emerging technologies such as big data analytics and artificial intelligence to grow the digital economy?