Following on from the success of our Centre for Digital Trust and Society (CDTS) Forum series we are delighted to invite you to our upcoming Digital Trust and Security in the Era of Generative AI Forum, which will take place on 2nd July, from 9:30 – 16:30, followed by an optional drinks reception, at No.1 Circle Square, Oxford Road, Manchester M1 7FS.
We will once again bring together key national and international partners across our 6 research clusters to explore current challenges and opportunities in the UK and beyond, and together co-creating an inclusive vision for the future. In addition, we have thought provoking panels and talks presented by experts in the field throughout the day, including the below:
Keynote Presentation | Prof Ganna Pogrebna, Executive Director of the Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Futures Institute at Charles Sturt University, Australia
Panel 1 | Generative AI & Security
Panel 2 | Cyber/Digital Skills and Careers in Cybersecurity
Panel 3 | What Works in Cyber Security
Panel Details
Panel 1 - Generative AI and Security
Confirmed Panellists:
Prof. Ana Basiri, University of Glasgow
Prof. Lucas Cordeiro, University of Manchester
As the landscape of generative AI evolves, the implications for digital trust and security are significant and multi-faceted. This panel will explore the opportunities and threats that AI-powered technologies present in the context of cybersecurity, misinformation and national security. Topics include AI-enhanced cybersecurity, misinformation detection, governance and ethics, trust in AI systems and the future of AI (and GenAI) in digital trust and security. Attendees will gain insights into the intersection of generative AI, security and policy.
Academic Leads: Prof Nadia Papmichail and Dr. Mustafa Mustafa
Panel 2: Cyber Skills and Careers in Cybersecurity
Confirmed Panellists:
David C, National Cyber Security Centre
Dr. Claudia Natanson MBE, UK Cyber Security Council
Sarah Clarke, Founder of Infospectives
Dr. Charles Clarke, Co-Founder of CSE Connect
‘We’re very good at certifying people who are already in the industry…’ - Dr Claudia Natanson, UK Cyber Security Council
Shakespeare might have observed today:
A. Some are born to cyber… Such as those who have played with tech since childhood.
B. Some achieve cyber rather know how…through schools, colleges, universities, and industrial learning and training.
C. And some have cyber thrust upon them… when a cyber incident event occurs, or…on demand from customers or regulators for certification or other forms of assurance over cyber security…or just in their day-to-day experiences with connected technology.
A. Looks after itself. We're getting better and better at b. However we have not considered that the requisite variety needed in the workforce to even approach cyber safety requires a whole workforce approach with c. It's not just the 'cyberists' or the 'cyber professionals' with a shower of post-nominals. Cyber is difficult. People like doing skills related activity as a move to bring the challenge under control because it's easy to understand, it's quick to give nice, reportable measurements like bums on seats and qualifications. But these the activities are generally limited to a subset of the so-called cyber workforce (unless it's a click-through cyber awareness package trying to dampen down a time when something shouldn't be clicked). We are failing miserably the people whom we expect to compensate for the absence of built-in security lacking of sociotechnical systems (and their component parts) rather than rallying them as the extension of the professionals who design, build, and defend our information systems. This panel will discuss how we get the human factors to compensate until balanced socio-technical security is the built-in norm.
Academic Leads: Dr. Ines Henriques Cadby and Prof. Daniel Dresner
Panel 3: What works in Cybersecurity
Confirmed Panellists:
Chris Maddocks, North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU)
Richard Sinclair, National Lead Force Fraud Investigation
Dr. Oliver Mason, University of Surrey
Many guidelines provide individuals and organisations with advice on preventing cyber incidents and responding to them after they occur. However, the evidence base on what actually works for prevention and response remains limited. Similar initiatives aim to address other challenges arising from problematic uses of digital technologies, such as cyberbullying in schools, addiction to e-gambling sites, and academic plagiarism facilitated by AI tools. Yet, little is known about the effectiveness of these programmes in preventing these issues. This panel will bring together researchers who have conducted experimental and quasi-experimental studies (as well as evaluations of existing programmes and interventions) on digital trust and society, alongside policymakers and practitioners who bring practical insights into knowledge and practice gaps. The discussion will focus on what is currently known, what remains unknown, and the pressing need to strengthen the evidence base on ‘what works’ in prevention and response.
Academic Leads: Dr. David Buil-Gil
The Centre for Digital Trust and Society serves as a focal point for research across the University of Manchester, exploring aspects of trust and security in our digital world. We bring together international and national experts from industry, the public sector, and academia to create interdisciplinary synergies and foster collaboration and engagement. The Centre is part of Digital Futures, a highly interdisciplinary network with 1700+ members that operates across the entire range of the University of Manchester's digital research.
