Dr. Pamela Wisniewski recently led and presented a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Information Science and Technology (ISAT) study focused on an emerging challenge at the intersection of artificial intelligence, human behavior, and national security.
The study, titled SHIELD, examined adversarial AI systems that seek to exploit human emotions as an attack vector. Rather than focusing solely on vulnerabilities in software or technical infrastructure, the work considers how AI-enabled threats may target people themselves through psychological and emotional manipulation.
Wisniewski co-led the study with Dr. Amanda Clase, working alongside an interdisciplinary team and ISAT steering committee members to explore approaches for protecting individuals and national security against these emerging forms of AI-enabled influence.
The effort reflects a growing need to approach AI security as both a technical and human-centered challenge, bringing together expertise across computing, cybersecurity, behavioral science, and human-centered technology.
As AI capabilities evolve, protecting people themselves is becoming an increasingly important dimension of cybersecurity and national security.