Calix News & Analysis

AI Cybersecurity Risks Highlighted at 2026 CNBC TEC Summit

At the 2026 CNBC Technology Executive Council Summit in New York City, industry leaders discussed how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming businesses but also increasing cybersecurity risks. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, warned that the growing AI-driven cybersecurity crisis has not been taken seriously enough by organizations, countries, and individuals. Campbell Brown, CEO of Forum AI, predicted a "rocky six months" ahead in cybersecurity as public awareness of AI-related hacks and leaks increases. Michael Weening, CEO of Calix, and CPO Shane Eleniak explained that large-scale AI attacks have so far been mainly conducted by nation-states due to high costs, but the increasing availability of open-weight AI models and inexpensive GPUs may enable bad actors to launch more attacks in 2027. Eleniak described a future security problem where AI models can be trained maliciously and used for attacks, necessitating reactive, container-trained AI defenses. This discussion highlights the urgent need for organizations to prepare for more sophisticated AI-based cyber threats. For investors, the growing cybersecurity risks tied to AI emphasize the importance of monitoring technological defenses and regulatory developments that could affect costs and operational risks for companies employing AI technologies.