At 7:30 P.M. on Monday, November 6, 2023, Jeremy O’Mard visited our campus to present an installment of the Behrend Speaker Series. The focus of the presentation: AI and Cybersecurity.

IBM’s “Imagine You” 

Jeremy, who currently works for IBM, or the International Business Machines Corporation, began his presentation by showing us a recruiting video from IBM called “Imagine You”. The video, available on YouTube, gives viewers a general sense of the kind of work IBM does and more importantly the kind of work prospective future employees can do at IBM using their unique skill set.

While the name of the company denotes that it focuses on business and technology, the video conveys that the company is so much more than just these. At IBM, employees are actively trying to find ways to better the world in many areas including the environment, education, and more.

O’Mard’s Education and Career

After giving us an overview of IBM, O’Mard let us in on his own experience as an IBM employee. He tells us that his IBM journey started in 2011 while he was still an undergraduate student at Behrend pursuing a B.S. in MIS Management with a minor in Operations and Supply Chain Management.

O’Mard first started working for IBM via a co-op, but he admits that he felt he was not yet having as involved of an experience as he would have liked. It was after he applied for an internship with them in 2012 that he became more involved. After graduating from Penn State, O’Mard who is originally from Upper Marlboro, Maryland moved to the Washington D.C. area to continue working for IBM. By 2013, he was a Consultant with the CbD Program. He was a Senior consultant by 2015 and a Managing Consultant by 2018. By 2021, he became a Senior Managing Consultant which is a position he maintains today.

In his time with IBM, O’Mard has consulted for several organizations including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Army, the U.S. Department of Social Security, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Currently, he is working on a project for the Defense Commissary Agency.

Learning About AI in Cybersecurity  

The remainder of the presentation focused on AI, which O’Mard states can be broken down into four components. Artificial Intelligence itself refers to the ability of a computer, robot, or other programmed device to perform human tasks. Then, Language Learning Models are used to predict language output based on prior input. Machine Learning is the concept of machines being programmed to learn how to do human tasks to the extent that they no longer need human help to do said tasks. Finally, Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, focuses on content generation.

O’Mard explains that all four of these AI types, together, can be used in defensive cybersecurity, offensive cybersecurity, and by the “bad guys” or hackers and other criminals. He states that AI is the “new Cold War”. It is the technology which several organizations and countries are aiming to do better than another and, in certain cases, even try to overpower each other.

As for the general public, recently an AI Bill of Rights has been produced by the U.S. Government in order to make sure that AI is also kept responsible for respecting civil rights. Previously, programs such as ChatGPT would save input from users without repercussions, but now there must be more measures taken to inform users of how their information is stored and used.

O’Mard also spent some time discussing the future of AI in software development employment. He states that while “AI companions” are increasingly given to software development teams in companies, by no means will it replace humans altogether. For one, he agrees that human beings are needed to build and maintain AI. For another, he says that we “still need humans” for “creativity”.

O’Mard also asserts that while AI can be helpful in many ways, by no means will it ‘take over the world’ like some fear. He also assures us that it is a practice that when it comes to many important decisions the government and other entities prefer to not rely on AI. For example, O’Mard says, “When human lives are concerned, humans should make decisions.” He states that those in charge would rather use a “heart-and-mind perspective”, a human being, rather than AI which thinks with “black and white data”. “When human lives are concerned,

As a last word, O’Mard tells us “To determine where the final form is [for AI] is to ask… our values as humans.”