010: The World Is Over As You Know It – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Read Time: 10 Minutes
Read on: monicatalkscyber.com
Read previous newsletter editions

***

The world is over as we know it. It’s not about to be over. It is over. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Let me explain below what I mean, let's look at the good, the bad and the ugly, and what it means for your career and business.

— TLDR —

Today’s edition of The Monica Talks Cyber Newsletter covers:

• AI in decision making

• “AI Granny” fighting against scammers

• AI Evolution: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Let’s dive in…

The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do." – B.F. Skinner

While that may still be true in today's AI age, we do need to start thinking what would it mean for humanity the moment machines start thinking. It's not a question of whether, but when and are we ready for it. Here's the biggest example of that in making. The world is no longer just about men (or humans) "thinking" and "making decisions".

***

AI in decision making

Very often, I am still asked this one question that I'm sure many of you wonder as well. In fact, just recently at a dinner one of you actually asked me this very question:

Monica, what does the future of AI hold? – A Monica Talks Cyber Member

The reality is no one can predict with 100% certainty what the future holds, not even Elon or Sam. You can see the trends. You can provide some kind of predictability. Sure. But no one can predict with a 100% certainty. Every time I see someone predicting the future like it's crystal clear, this quote from Abraham Lincoln comes to my mind which holds so true even and especially in today's era of AI.

The best way to predict the future is to create it – Abraham Lincoln

That's the best form of prediction. That's what you're doing today with Artificial Intelligence. Ot at least some of you. You are creating “innovation”, in ways we have never before, at speed we have never experienced before, and at scale we couldn't have imagined before. Through that you are able to somewhat predict the future, if at all. Even though artificial intelligence has not yet surpassed human intelligence, we are seeing real use cases of AI in decision making in careers, personal lives and businesses. The real question then becomes how are you leveraging AI for decision making? Here are 5 reasons why AI is changing and shaping human decision making at a rapid speed.

1. Fundamentals: AI-driven decision-making is one of the key AI capabilities, especially as it relates to augmenting (or in certain cases even replacing) a core and complex human skill. It underpins many other AI apps and use cases. Most AI systems, at some level, make decisions based on data and algorithms trained on that data. Agentic AI takes that even a step further, with not only being able make decisions but take actions on those decisions. These actions can range from simple automated responses (like a chatbot sending a message based on what it analysed) to more complex physical actions (like an AI-robot moving objects or cleaning a room, etc). The term "agentic AI" typically refers to systems that can set and pursue goals, plan an execute a sequences of actions, while interacting with their environment and adapting their behavior based on feedback.

2. Broad Applicability: Decision-making is relevant across all domains and across society. An average adult human makes around 35,000 decisions per day. As AI is applied in many fields, its use in decision-making is expanding. AI decision-making is being used in healthcare diagnostics, financial trading, autonomous vehicles, and more.

3. Building Block: Many complex AI systems are chains of smaller decision-making processes. For example, a self-driving car makes many decisions per minute. It decides on speed, direction, and safety based on sensor inputs.

4. Scalability: As AI systems improve, their decisions will enable complex, nuanced applications.

5. Human Interaction: While some AI is augmenting human decision making, others are potentially replacing it. AI in decision making will change how humans interact and make decisions.

Watch my entire keynote or listen to the entire episode on in your favourite podcast app on how AI is Fighting (and Fuelling) Decision Making and Fraud.

***

“AI Granny” fighting against scammers

Who knew your granny could scare away fraudsters and scammers? Well, at least the “AI Granny” is up for the job. We are seeing many real-world examples of AI and deepfakes (audio and video) being used by scammers and fraudsters, effectively stealing your money or even conducting digital bank heists. It comes as a breath of “fresh air”, if one can say so, to see AI being used to scam scammers, in this epic move by O2 UK, through Daisy, their “AI granny” driving fraudsters and scammers up the wall.

Daisy exemplifies how AI can proactively disrupt fraudulent activities, adding a new layer to cybersecurity measures. This is what I want to see. Leveraging AI in cybersecurity to solve real-world problems. The latter is key.

In March, I will be releasing my next youtube video and newsletter on “7 AI Trends to Leverage in 2025” for every professional and business out there. Subscribe to my youtube / newsletter and stay tuned.

***

AI Evolution: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

A lot in happening daily in the the AI and emerging tech world. Recently, we had the world leaders meet at the AI Action Summit in Paris, France. Just a few days ago, Microsoft unveiled a major advancement in quantum computing, indicating that they may have just created a new state of matter.

Most of us grew up learning there are three main types of matter that matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Today, that changed. After a nearly 20 year pursuit, we’ve created an entirely new state of matter, unlocked by a new class of materials, topoconductors, that enable a fundamental leap in computing. – Satya Nadella

What implications do they have on you?

a) The Good: Unprecedented Investments in AI and Quantum

In Jan, US announced Stargate with $500 billion investment in AI; In Feb at the AI Summit, France announced €109 billion investment in AI. Add to that India advocating for AI accessibility and inclusion was noteworthy.

AI is writing the code for humanity in this century. – PM Modi

2024 was the year of massive evaluations on corporate levels. 2025 is the year of massive investments at global nation-wide levels.

Moving on, even though Microsoft’s Majorana 1 is a somewhat of a breakthrough, I struggle with the term “new” state of matter, given Majorana 1 is based on topological superconductors which are not new. However, it is definitely a great progress, and if we are able to truly scale this to create practical fault-tolerant quantum computers (or a million-qubit computer), on one hand this may bring computing light years ahead in just the next 3-5 years. But on the other hand, most asymmetric crypto protocols out there today e.g. RSA, ECC, will be dead as we know it. There won’t be much encrypted code left that quantum computing will not be able to crack, unless we move everything to Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) – the time for which is now, or quantum-secure networks or similar. There are various drivers as to why the transition to PQ need to be accelerated.

AI Shifts Even More Open-Source

While there’s a big unease with DeepSeek in our cybersecurity industry for various reasons, including your data being accessible from China for one, it did become a part of the broader movement to further embrace the seismic shift we are seeing towards open-source AI models with Meta, Stability AI, etc. Imagine you lived in a world, where the Internet was not built on open-sourced protocols or if the Internet was closed-source, proprietary and only a (rich/privileged/special) few could use or access it. Or imagine electricity were accessible to you only under certain circumstances or conditions.

AI is like electricity in that it is changing every industry, every human experience and it needs to be accessible to the world, despite the various disparities.

If AI is to increase the global GDP by $13 trillion by 2030 as per McKinsey, that won’t happen without it truly being accessible globally.

b) The Bad: Global AI regulations are a mess

While the summit leaned heavily towards AI investment, competition, and economic potential, the voice pushing for safe and responsible AI weren’t many.

I'm not here this morning to talk about AI safety, which was the title of the conference a couple of years ago. I'm here to talk about AI opportunity. – JD Vance

While I support the decision of not over-regulating that could stifle growth and innovation, I wasn’t overtly joyous but nonetheless not really surprised to see less focus on AI safety and ethics at the recent AI Summit. This isn’t surprising to the least —countries are prioritising AI dominance over AI responsibility. The world is still playing catch-up on AI risks, if at all, while racing to develop it faster.

c) The Ugly: AI Arms Race and Weaponisation

I have said it before and I will say it again, AI is a geopolitical weapon. We are not just amidst the race of AI between corporations like OpenAI, Anthropic, Deepseek, etc. but also a race between nations particularly US, China and Europe, with Europe trying to play catchup (hopefully faster).

If AI summit showed us one thing clearly, it’s that the geopolitical battle has intensified. In 2019, I wrote an article on code being the biggest tool and weapon in today’s world of cyberwar, which was then taken down by some authoritative people in the organisation, since they were not ready to hear the word cyberwar. So whether you are ready for it or not, the AI race is not just a corporate, business or technological race anymore, it’s a geopolitical one, that will shape and has the power to even shift the scale of global dominance in our world. The question is how are you learning, embracing and leveraging it in a safe, ethical and secure manner?

The world is over as we know it. It’s not about to be over. It is over. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, given you understand the implications and are working on leveraging emerging technologies like AI, Post Quantum Crypto, etc. for good. Time for that is now.

***

–– Monica Verma

Follow me on Linkedin, Instagram, Youtube or Book a 1:1 Call

Wish to lead in AI and Cyber on your terms?

Whenever you are ready, there are 4 ways I can help you... (↓):

1. Security Leadership Masterclass: The first MASTERCLASS ever on security leadership with a cumulative of 50+ years of experience from top 12+ global security leaders. IT IS OUT NOW fully on-demand with lifetime access. Join today to get lifetime access right away.

2. 10x Your Career in AI and Cyber: I went from a hacker to a CISO in just 4 years and continued my journey as a leader. Through many calculated risks over time, I built my career and life at my own terms and conditions. So can you. Book your 1-1 coaching today.

3. Your Step-by-Step Guide to Break into Security Leadership: Here's your chance to break into a security leadership role and make an impact. This Ultimate Guide is a cumulation of 20 years of experience, my journey from hacker to leader, synthesised in an easily consumable format with practical tips and tools to help you get your break and 10x your career. Join now if you wish to break into security leadership.

4. 10x Your Business: Are you tired of talks full of jargons and sales? Do you hear to hear a lack of storytelling, engagement and clear messaging? I am a professional keynote speaker and a storyteller, helping businesses demystify artificial intelligence, leadership and cybersecurity with engaging storytelling. Excited? Learn more to book me as your speaker today or sponsor the The Monica Talks Cyber podcast show to get your message across to 30K+ audience.