The Head of AI4I’s AI Security Lab discusses the rise of AI-enabled cyberattacks, the protection of digital infrastructure and the risks associated with increasingly autonomous AI systems.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping cybersecurity, increasing both the sophistication of cyberattacks and the capacity to defend critical digital infrastructure. On 10 November 2026, Nicola Franco, Head of the AI Security Lab at the Italian Institute of Artificial Intelligence (AI4I), addressed these developments during an interview on Coffee Break, broadcast on La7.
Franco explained how AI models are increasingly being used to identify and exploit software vulnerabilities, including those affecting widely deployed open-source technologies. At the same time, AI offers new capabilities to detect security weaknesses and accelerate the development of protective measures, significantly reducing the time between vulnerability discovery and remediation.
Europe’s technological capacity and cybersecurity investment
According to Franco, strengthening Europe’s cybersecurity resilience requires sustained investment in scientific expertise, research programmes and advanced computing infrastructure.
He highlighted the importance of European research initiatives, including Horizon Europe and the Digital Europe Programme, while calling for greater commitment at both national and European levels.
Frontier AI, autonomous systems and emerging risks
The discussion also addressed the safety challenges associated with increasingly capable AI models, following recent warnings by Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton.
Franco referred to experimental evidence of autonomous AI behaviour in cybersecurity testing environments and to the international debate on the potential risks of advanced AI systems.
He also examined the different approaches to model distribution, particularly the distinction between proprietary systems and open-weight models, whose safeguards may be modified by third parties.
The central issue, Franco argued, is the need to advance AI safety research alongside technological development, strengthening the scientific foundations for the reliable and secure deployment of increasingly powerful systems.
