Microsoft announced on Wednesday that it will deepen its collaboration with European governments on cybersecurity by providing authorities with enhanced insights from its artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
The tech giant’s European Security Program aims to use the power of AI to bolster cybersecurity resilience, Microsoft President Brad Smith revealed during an online press conference.
"We are now in a position to share more and better-quality threat intelligence with governments, and to do so more quickly than before," Smith emphasised.
Smith noted in a blog post that the rise of AI has also "amplified and evolved the behaviour of threat actors."
As a result, Microsoft is now tracking the malicious use of its new AI models and taking proactive measures to prevent threat actors from exploiting its products, Smith added.
He also announced additional cybersecurity resources for the European Union, including increased personnel and infrastructure, though specific figures were not disclosed.
Microsoft plans to strengthen its collaboration with European law enforcement agencies to identify and disrupt online criminal activity.
In line with this effort, the company publicised a significant operation in mid-May conducted alongside Europol and with support from the US government to dismantle the infrastructure used for spreading a Russian-origin virus called 'Lumma Stealer'.
Microsoft successfully blocked, suspended, or deleted about 2,300 internet addresses that were part of Lumma’s framework.
These initiatives reflect the Silicon Valley giant’s commitment to expanding its operations in Europe amidst unprecedented tensions between the continent and the United States, and as European companies increasingly question their strategic reliance on American technology.
