Hackers Can Win Almost $20 Million By Using AI to Protect Against Cyberattacks

When you hear “hackers” and “cyberattacks” in the same sentence, it’s usually bad news. Usually. Sometimes, however, it can actually be a good thing. Take this week’s news for example, where the Biden administration invited hackers to help protect the US from cyberattacks for financial prizes, so long as those hackers used AI in the process.

As reported by CNBC, hackers now have the opportunity to win millions of dollars by utilizing AI in the fight to protect US infrastructure from cyberattacks and cybersecurity risks. The Biden administration’s announcement comes with support from organizations in the AI field, including AI startup Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI (the creators of ChatGPT). All companies will allow hackers to use their technology for this event.

The $20 million in prize money offered won’t be up for grabs for every hacker that wants in. Instead, hackers will have to win a qualifying event in the spring, where only 20 teams will advance to the next round. Then, five of those winners will earn $2 million each, and move to the final round. The top three winners here will win more prizes, with the one to “best secure vital software” earning $4 million.

In exchange for that prize money, the winning hackers will need to provide open-source software in order to share the knowledge with the government and other top organizations.

If you or someone you know thinks you have what it takes to compete, don’t be afraid to sign up: You’ll be helping your country, and potentially setting yourself up for a windfall.