The US government, under the Biden administration, has launched a unique two-year contest that offers a total prize money of around $20 million. The goal of this competition is to encourage the development of artificial intelligence (AI) tools capable of protecting critical American computer code. Since safeguarding computer code is vital for cybersecurity, the initiative, called the AI Cyber Challenge, is organized by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Participating teams in the AI Cyber Challenge will be required to demonstrate their AI-powered tools that safeguard essential US code, which serves as the foundation for internet operations and various critical infrastructures. By fostering the creation of advanced technologies, this competition aims to strengthen cybersecurity overall. Furthermore, it aligns with the Biden administration’s commitment to responsibly advance emerging technologies and protect national interests.
In addition to the main prize, the top three scoring teams will receive extra monetary rewards. Moreover, the top five teams will proceed to the final round of the competition, which is scheduled for 2025. Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI are also supporting the competitors by granting them access to their AI technology, thereby contributing to the innovative solutions that will be developed in the challenge.