Cybersecurity Threat Vectors For AI Autonomous Cars

Cyber Hacking Trends for Autonomous Vehicles

Cybersecurity Threat Vectors For AI Autonomous Cars   September 16, 2021 in AiTrends

Over-the-air software updating for autonomous cars is one of many potential paths for cyber hackers targeting an AI driving system. ... 

Dr. Lance B. Eliot is a renowned global expert on AI, he is Chief AI Scientist at Techbrium Inc. and currently an invited Stanford Fellow at Stanford University, previously was a professor at USC, headed a pioneering AI Research Lab, was a top exec at a major VC, and serves as a longstanding regular contributor for AI Trends. His AI writings have amassed over 3.8+ million views, his podcasts exceed over 150,000 downloads, and he is the author of numerous top ranked books on AI.  ... 

Follow Lance on Twitter @LanceEliot ... 

AI of Autonomous Cars also Useful for Conventional Autos

As you might expect, for example automatic lane holding and parking capabilities are already well known.  My guess to is that such autonomous solutions will be useful in many places.  A good related piece: 

AI of Autonomous Cars Finding Its  Way into Conventional Cars, a Big Crossover   By Lance B. Eliot

 "   .... The thing is, a lot of the autonomous tech will also end up in human-driven cars too. This might seem surprising. Many assume that the tech devised to aid AI-based autonomous driving would solely be used by autonomous driving vehicles. But it turns out that there are numerous handy ways in which the tech derived for self-driving cars can be leveraged for human-driven vehicles.   

Not every piece of tech that goes into a self-driving car is necessarily going to find its way into a human-driven vehicle. Some contraptions will; some will not. The tech that gets crossed over into a human-driven car is bound to have other aspects included, recasting the tech and making it more readily accessible or usable by humans versus when the target “user” being an AI driving system (note that I’ve put the word “user” into quotes since I don’t want to suggest or imply that today’s AI is somehow human-like). 

The overarching question is this: Can the advanced tech devised for self-driving cars be leveraged for use in human-driven cars on a crossover or crisscrossing basis?   

Well, I’ve already tipped my hand and propounded my answer, which is a resounding yes, albeit the seemingly outsized affirmation is tempered with the strident precaution to mindfully undertake any such crossovers.    .... " 

Explaining AI in Context

Not to say I am using the connection with autonomous cars, but am very much into how we explain with AI in all sorts of contexts.    We built some AI systems in our early days that could have used very precise explanatory capabilities, in order to keep its credibility over many maintenance cycles,  but it could only be crudely done at the time.   Here a nice case study in the here and now.  

The Rocky Road Toward Explainable AI (XAI) For AI Autonomous Cars 

The AI systems doing the piloting of autonomous cars will need to provide explanations to curious passengers about the route being undertaken    By Lance Eliot, the AI Trends Insider  

Our lives are filled with explanations. You go to see your primary physician due to a sore shoulder. The doctor tells you to rest your arm and avoid any heavy lifting. In addition, a prescription is given. You immediately wonder why you would need to take medication and also are undoubtedly interested in knowing what the medical diagnosis and overall prognosis are. 

So, you ask for an explanation. 

In a sense, you have just opened a bit of Pandora’s box, at least in regard to the nature of the explanation that you might get. For example, the medical doctor could rattle a lengthy and jargon-filled indication of shoulder anatomy and dive deeply into the chemical properties of the medication that has been prescribed. That’s probably not the explanation you were seeking.   

It used to be that physicians did not expect patients to ask for explanations. Whatever was said by the doctor was considered sacrosanct. The very nerve of asking for an explanation was tantamount to questioning the veracity of a revered medical opinion. Some doctors would gruffly tell you to simply do as they have instructed (no questions permitted) or might utter something rather insipid like your shoulder needs help and this is the best course of action. Period, end of story.   

Nowadays, medical doctors are aware of the need for viable explanations. There is specialized “bedside” training that takes place in medical schools. Hospitals have their own in-house courses. upcoming medical doctors are graded on how they interact with patients. And so on.   

Though that certainly has opened the door toward improved interaction with patients, it does not necessarily completely solve the explanations issue. 

Knowing how to best provide an explanation is both art and science. You need to consider that there is the explainer that will be providing the explanation, and there is a person that will be the recipient of the explanation.    ... '

AI and the Curious Consideration of Autonomous Intent

Context, Autonomy Intent... for Autonomous AI.  Considerable piece on the difficult problem.  Has not come close to technical solution.

Home  AI Trends Insider on Autonomy  On Whether AI Can Form ‘Intent’ Including In The Case Of Autonomous...

On Whether AI Can Form ‘Intent’ Including In The Case Of Autonomous Cars
By Lance Eliot, the AI Trends Insider

These remarks all have something in common:

The devil made me do it
I didn’t mean to be mean to you
Something just came over me
I wanted to do it
You got what was coming to you
My motives were pure
What’s that all about?

You could say that those are all various ways in which someone might express their intent or intentions.

In some instances, the person is seemingly expressing their intent directly, while in other cases they appear to be avoiding being pinned down on their intentions and are trying to toss the intent onto the shoulders of someone or something else.

When we express our intent, there is no particular reason to necessarily believe that it is true per se.

A person can tell you their intentions and yet be lying through their teeth.

Or, a person can offer their intentions and genuinely believe that they are forthcoming in their indication, and yet it might be entirely fabricated and concocted as a kind of rationalization after-the-fact.  ... "