Attention tech-savvy warriors: the ultimate hacking battle has begun, and the stakes are incredibly high! The Biden administration has officially blown the virtual trumpets, announcing the A.I. Cyber Challenge, a hacking competition in which artificial intelligence is the weapon of choice. Consider a digital battlefield where hackers don code armor to safeguard crucial U.S. infrastructure from annoying cybersecurity threats.

Keep your code snippets handy since this is where things get interesting. What about the main prize pool? Twenty million dollars! You read it correctly: we're talking about actual money, not digital currency. And who is joining this tremendous technological crusade? Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI are among A.I.'s heavyweights. They're bringing advanced artillery to the battlefield.

Imagine the scene: The big news was delivered at the Black Hat USA hacking conference in glitzy Las Vegas. They look like the Avengers, but instead of capes, they wear hoodies and hold computers.

But hold on, there's more! Hackers must compete in a qualifying event to get to the big leagues. The crème de la crème of coding - up to 20 top-scoring teams - will be chosen to compete in the semifinals of DEF CON 2024, a cybersecurity extravaganza. What's more, guess what? The top five teams will each walk away with a whopping $2 million and a golden ticket to the finals of DEF CON 2025.

It's not just about the money, though. The top three teams will compete for further rewards, including a stunning $4 million for the team that can "best secure vital software." It's like the Academy Awards, except for digital defenders.

• Also read: A Growing Threat: How AI Poses Risks to Cybersecurity in 2023

The twist that makes this competition even more interesting is that contestants must open-source their answers. It's the equivalent of disclosing your secret weapon designs to the world. The Linux Foundation's Open Source Security Foundation has joined the party as an advisor, ensuring everything remains legal.

Oh, and it's not only the big names that get a chance to shine. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) offers up to $1 million in funding to seven small enterprises that wish to compete. Inviting the neighborhood kids to play in the big-league game is like asking them.

And, hey, this isn't the government's first foray into the world of hacking. They started the Cyber Grand Challenge in 2014 to develop an open-source security system capable of repelling cyberattacks. Consider it a tech cook-off but with more ones and zeroes.

So, what's the big deal about A.I.? The administration hopes that A.I.'s abilities will aid with securing crucial U.S. infrastructure. "We have to keep defence one step ahead," said Perri Adams, program manager at DARPA's Information Innovation Office. And A.I. provides an up-and-coming technique in this regard." It's like having a superhero team that can anticipate the future.

So, tech warriors, let the hacking games begin! Who knows what type of digital magic will be conjured when cybersecurity and A.I. professionals join forces. It's a classic I.T. story in which invention meets protection, and the result is nothing short of $20 million in glory.


Illustration: FreePik

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