By 2028 Misconfigured AI Will Shut Down National Critical Infrastructure in a G20 Country: Gartner
Gartner, Inc., a business and
technology insights company, predicts that by 2028, misconfigured AI in cyber
physical systems (CPS) will shut down national critical infrastructure in a G20
country.
Gartner defines CPS as engineered
systems that orchestrate sensing, computation, control, networking and
analytics to interact with the physical world (including humans). CPS is the
umbrella term to encompass operational technology (OT), industrial control
systems (ICS), industrial automation and control systems (IACS), industrial
Internet of Things (IIoT), robots, drones, or Industries 4.0.
“The next great infrastructure
failure may not be caused by hackers or natural disasters but rather by a well-intentioned
engineer, a flawed update script, or a misplaced decimal,” said Wam Voster, VP
Analyst
at Gartner. “A secure ‘kill-switch’
or override mode accessible only to authorised operators is essential for safeguarding
national infrastructure from unintended shutdowns caused by an AI
misconfiguration.”
Misconfigured AI can autonomously
shut down vital services, misinterpret sensor data or trigger unsafe actions.
This can result in physical damage or large-scale service disruption, posing
direct threats to public safety and economic stability by compromising control
of key systems like power grids or manufacturing plants.
For example, modern power
networks rely on AI for real-time balancing of generation and consumption. A misconfigured
predictive model could misinterpret demand as instability, triggering
unnecessary grid isolation or load shedding across entire regions or even countries.
“Modern AI models are so complex
they often resemble ‘black boxes,’” said Voster. “Even developers cannot always
predict how small configuration changes will impact the emergent behaviour of
the model.
The more opaque these systems
become, the greater the risk posed by misconfiguration. Hence, it is even more
important that humans can intervene when needed.”
To mitigate risks, Gartner
recommends that chief information security officers (CISOs) must:
Implement Safe Override Modes:
For all critical infrastructure CPS, include a secure “kill-switch”
or other override mechanisms
accessible only to authorized operators, so humans retain ultimate
control even during full
autonomy.
Digital Twins: Develop a
full-scale digital twin of the systems supporting critical infrastructure for
realistic testing of updates and
changes to configurations before deployment.
Leave A Comment