Virtual reality (VR) technology has transformed how we experience digital environments. This technology simulates environments with striking realism, providing a highly immersive experience for users, and triggering their visual and auditory senses so they feel that they are truly in the moment in a virtual world.
The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has also transcended these experiences. This evolving field of computer science focuses on creating intelligent machines powered by smart algorithms that make routine task performance easier, alleviating the need for human intelligence or manual involvement. AI has dramatically influenced the cyber threat landscape, with recent findings in the eighth biennial Deloitte-NASCIO Cybersecurity Study suggesting new AI-powered cyber threats are on the rise.
So what does this mean for organizations seeking to harness the power of both these innovative technologies?
The synergy of AI and VR
Integrating AI into VR experiences is a project that many developers have begun experimenting with. There is a belief that AI can enhance VR by adapting it to user behaviors, predicting movements, and creating more dynamic, realistic, immersive, and responsive experiences to make them more personalized. By leveraging the power of AI, VR can become even more lifelike, but this must not come at the cost of valuable organizational or personal data.
As these technologies mature and intersect, industry-wide applications could be far more groundbreaking. Industries from healthcare and education to construction and even sports have begun experimenting with AI and VR in siloed functions, with products ranging from immersive learning material to cutting-edge home renovation tools and play-at-home golf simulation systems. Therefore, many markets seem primed for a joint AI-VR combination to enhance products and services and improve accuracy, among other benefits.
This convergence also raises pertinent questions about cybersecurity and data preservation, meaning cyber leaders and decision-makers must ponder the potential considerations of this powerful amalgamation.
Security implications of AI-enhanced VR
Organizations must be prepared to address new and potentially far-reaching challenges created by an AI-VR combination, despite its exciting possibilities and potential.
1. Data privacy and protection
VR systems—augmented by AI or not—collect and process large amounts of user data, from behaviors and preferences to sensitive and personally identifiable information. This data is useful in helping AI-powered VR systems improve the experience for users, crafting a more immersive and realistic experience for them.
However, unauthorized access to this data is entirely possible without proper encryption and data protection measures. Malicious actors can unveil stored system data, potentially utilizing it for identity theft, false profiling, data harvesting, fraudulent activity, and many other activities that violate a person's privacy.
Strong encryption protocols such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) will be key in maintaining data integrity in transit and at rest. Ensure that any solution is compliant with relevant data protection legislation, and validate access to systems with robust user authentication.
2. Authentication and access control
As VR experiences become more data-driven and personalized, ensuring strict user authorization and validation becomes increasingly important. When users attempt to access sensitive virtual environments with weak authentication methods or no form of validation, it becomes easier for unauthorized users to access these spaces or impersonate others in VR environments.
As such, multi-factor authentication (MFA) becomes exceptionally vital in preserving spaces and the data held within them. Enforcing MFA processes before granting access—such as with strong passwords, biometric verification like movement patterns and physiological responses, and single sign-on (SSO)—will be a proactive workaround. Organizations can also use AI to detect anomalies or suspicious behavior that might indicate a compromised account.
3. AI model integrity
The AI models that are used to enhance VR systems and software are also prime targets for malicious actors themselves. AI models are constantly under attack, and a successful attack could compromise and manipulate VR environments in several ways both subtle and devastating. This could pose risks to users' physical safety, distort their perceptions, and alter the software's response to their movements.
Regular testing and validation of AI models is crucial. Training and upskilling users on any alterations to AI models and how they impact various VR applications and systems—as well as adversarial training techniques—will also help organizations navigate these risks. Additionally, regular patching, managed updates, and human oversight over AI-generated content and integrations will prove useful in managing these risks and maintaining ethical AI models in practice.
4. Network security
Furthermore, Internet of Things (IoT) VR applications, particularly those enhanced by AI, are more resource-intensive. The high bandwidth and low-latency connections of these systems can strain traditional network resources, and as such, security may often not be up to scratch. The increased network traffic and use of edge computing for AI processing could unveil new attack vectors for opportunistic cybercriminals.
Organizations must therefore be willing to upscale their network infrastructure to create sufficient resources and bandwidth for their VR applications. Network segmentation, virtual private networks (VPNs), and real-time network monitoring tools will collectively help their detection and response processes. Whether anomalies or full attacks are detected, a more robust network with enterprise-grade security enabled will allow VR applications to be used with more confidence.
Ethical considerations in AI-enhanced VR
While organizations navigate the security considerations of AI-VR combinations, they must also be mindful of the ethical issues surrounding their usage of these two technologies.
1. Consent and transparency
All users—regardless of security knowledge—must be fully informed about how their data is collected, processed, and used in VR systems, whether they are augmented by AI or not. A lack of transparency will only foster feelings of distrust and potential legal implications if data is found to be compromised.
Educating users about their vulnerabilities and data sensitivity will help to prevent social engineering attacks which can deceive and manipulate them into divulging data when they don't need to. Maintaining transparency in data storage, management, and collection, while also providing user-friendly consent mechanisms, will cultivate more positive experiences for users, particularly if they feel reassured that you are safeguarding their data.
2. Algorithmic bias
AI algorithms can perpetuate or exacerbate existing biases. Their usage could unknowingly create discriminatory or prejudiced VR experiences for users, not to mention the fact that biased AI systems can be exploited to create divisive or manipulative virtual environments.
Organizations must therefore audit AI-VR tools to spot any incumbent biases, and ensure a diverse representation of training and developmental data while exercising more stringent control and supervision to correct biased outputs.
The future of AI and VR in cybersecurity
Looking ahead, while AI and VR integrations pose cybersecurity challenges, it's important to remember the opportunities that are afoot.
AI-powered VR simulations can provide realistic, adaptive cyber training scenarios and simulations, helping professionals better prepare for different threats. VR can also uncover new visualizations of complex network topologies and threat vectors, with AI helping to identify and highlight specific vulnerabilities or developing attacks. In turn, organizations can harness these technologies to improve their cyber posture and preparedness.
VR environments can be adapted and integrated to allow geographically dispersed teams to collaborate in immersive, shared virtual spaces. This can be invaluable when addressing and planning mitigation strategies during security incidents. What's more, AI's assistance in providing real-time analytics and response support can foster a more seamless process. These VR environments can be used as simulation grounds for countless virtual threat scenarios to reinforce learning and cyber hygiene across an organization's infrastructure.
As these technologies continue to evolve and find their place across numerous industries, cyber leaders must be at the center of their ethical usage and deployment if security is to be preserved. As we move forward, the key will be to balance innovation with security best practices, ensuring that the virtual environments and experiences we create are equal parts immersive, trustworthy, safe, and intelligent. In turn, AI-VR can become a harbinger of safe and game-changing technology for use across a spectrum of sectors.
