Caption: Minister Dr Michael Dowlath, left, Minister of Public Administration & Artificial Intelligence Dominic Smith. AZP News/Alicia Chamely
By Alicia Chamely
AN Inter-Ministerial Committee has been approved by the cabinet to tackle the rapid increase in cybercrime and artificial intelligence-enabled scams.
Speaking on Thursday at a post-cabinet press briefing, held at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s, Minister of Public Administration and Artificial Intelligence Dominic Smith said the creation of the committee was to address cybersecurity threat and AI-enabled scams, of which he noted had increased rapidly.
He said, “We have been witnessing a rapid increase in cyber-related incidents and artificial intelligence-enabled scams targeting public officials and well-known organisations.”
He said that the illicit activities currently targeting the public included investor scams, phishing attacks, ransomware, identity theft, fraudulent use of personal and financial information and AI-enabled misinformation campaigns.
Smith said, therefore, the government had decided to establish a National Cyber Security and AI Safety Framework.
He said the objectives of this framework were a whole government approach to cyber resilience, crime prevention, and AI governance, the incorporation of international best practices for AI safety, transparency and the ethical use of emerging technologies.
Smith added to this saying, “Further, the implementation of a national awareness campaign on scams using artificial intelligence likenesses, also known as deepfakes and digital impersonation. This Committee is meant to strengthen capacity within law enforcement to investigate and prosecute cybersecurity and AI-driven fraud, and of course, to enhance partnership with financial institutions, telcos, and tech platforms to proactively block fraudulent schemes.”
include representatives from the Ministry of Homeland Security, the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the Prime Minister, the Cyber and Social Media Unit, Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, the Financial Intelligence Unit of Trinidad and Tobago, and the Trinidad and Tobago Cybersecurity Incident Response Team.
He said, the “Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee on Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence will serve as a national coordinating body for cybersecurity and AI-related policy, incident response, and legislative alignment, as well as report quarterly on emerging threats, legislative gaps, and recommended interventions.”
Smith also announced the cabinet approval of a Digital Readiness Assessment to address “digital societal gaps that may exist”.
He said the framework would strengthen law enforcement’s capacity to investigate and prosecute cybersecurity offenses and AI-driven fraud, enhance partnerships with financial institutions, telecommunications companies and tech platforms to proactively block fraudulent schemes.
Smith stated, this framework would help establish and implement a roadmap for tech security for the next five years.
