Google’s neural networks capable of creating their own encryption

Encryption is the most effective way to secure your database. Tech giants like Apple, WhatsApp and Facebook are battling to keep the messages encrypt on their products. However, what if the technology or machine itself starts keeping secrets without any human intervention?

Yes, we are talking about, Artificial Intelligence. Google’s deep learning project, Google Brain, reportedly have shown that machines can learn how to protect their messages from prying eyes.

Researchers - Martín Abadi and David G. Andersen - have demonstrated the capability of neural networks that can act as neurons. These neurons can generate a human-independent encryption key to protect the data being exchanged between two different neural nets, a computing system designed based on the way neurons work in the brain.

The team started with three neural nets called Alice, Bob and Eve - each trained to perfect its own role in the communication. Alice’s job was to send a secret message to Bob, Bob’s job was to decode the message that Alice sent, and Eve’s job was to attempt to secretly tap the message

Alice converted her original plain-text message into an unreadable or gibberish format so that Eve won’t be able to understand it. Bob could decode the message using cipher key. Both Alice and Bob pre-agreed a set of numbers called a key which Eve didn’t have access to, to help encrypt and decrypt the message.

Initially, Alice and Bob failed to keep the message secret, however with continuous attempts, Alice developed her own encryption strategy. And after 15,000 attempts, Bob was able to decipher the message back into plain text, while Eve could guess just 8 of the 16 bits forming the message.

According to New Scientist report, “Computing with neural nets on this scale has only become possible in the last few years, so we really are at the beginning of what’s possible,” says Joe Sturonas of encryption company PKWARE in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who was not involved in the research.

Professor Stephen Hawking warned of the dangers of artificial intelligence becoming too smart and turning against humanity, last week only.

We are heading closer to technology evolution or a nightmare?