Artificial Intelligence is center stage in NC at the 2026 Cybersecurity conference at Duke University

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Artificial intelligence and its impact on cybersecurity were the focus Friday as Duke University hosted its third annual "Cybersecurity at Duke" conference.

Lawmakers, intelligence experts, technology leaders, professors and students gathered at Duke's Penn Pavilion to discuss emerging technological challenges and the implications for cybersecurity and geopolitics.

The event included remarks from NSA Deputy Director Tim Kosiba, as well as Congresswomen Deborah Ross and Valerie Foushee.

Panelists discussed how to balance the potential risks of AI with the need for the United States to remain competitive in emerging technologies and use those technologies for national defense.

Art Ehuan, executive director of Duke's cybersecurity program, said addressing the challenges posed by AI will require cooperation across sectors.

"The problems we're going to see with AI, and in particular, genetic AI, is they're going to require a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach. Academia has to work with government, with corporations, and vice versa. There is no there's no conceivable way that any one organization can do this on their own," Ehuan said.

Kosiba said technological advances alone will not determine which organizations succeed in the next era of intelligence.

"But I can tell you that the next era of intelligence will not belong to organizations that simply have the most technology. As technology alone does not create a sustainable advantage. People do," Kosiba said.

Experts at the conference said AI is likely to be one of the most transformative technologies for cybersecurity, while emphasizing the need for safeguards as the technology develops.

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The two-day conference is bringing together members of government, academia and the technology sector to discuss cybersecurity and emerging technologies.