BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – CyberCon kicked off on Tuesday at Bismarck State College, bringing together cybersecurity and critical infrastructure professionals for a conference organizers say aims to educate and connect people in the field.
This is the eighth year of CyberCon, but organizers say the technology it addresses keeps changing.
Tony Aukland, technology outreach and awareness director for the North Dakota Information Technology Department, said the definition of online safety has shifted over his career.
“Protecting our resources and ourselves online. You know, that definition has certainly changed over the years, though. Over my career, we weren’t so much online in the beginning of my career. And today, now all of our services and much of what we do in our day-to-day is online,” Aukland said.
Artificial intelligence is a growing part of the conversation at the conference, and attendees have different views on where it fits.
Alonso Sanchez, a Bismarck State College student, said people should not be afraid of AI.
“I definitely say AI is something that everyone should know about, how to use it, and not to be afraid of it. AI is an amazing tool, and people should use it every day because it can make your life 100% easier,” Sanchez said.
Ben Jensen, also a Bismarck State College student, said he remains cautious about the technology.
“I personally probably will not attend to much about AI. I know it has its valid use cases. I am still rather apprehensive about artificial intelligence,” Jensen said.
Beyond the debate over new technology, students say the conference is also a chance to learn from people already working in the field.
Sanchez said he hopes the conference leads to new connections and possibly an internship.
“The next few days, just meeting new people and hopefully get an internship as well. I would love to be able to work with some businesses and just meet new people,” Sanchez said.
CyberCon continues Wednesday with sessions covering cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, artificial intelligence and other emerging technology.
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