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DARPA’s Matt Turek on Using AI to ‘Find and Fix’ Software Vulnerabilities
As nation-state cyberthreats continue to intensify, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is ramping up efforts to help protect U.S. critical infrastructure using artificial intelligence technology, said Matt Turek, deputy director for the Information Innovation Office at DARPA.
See Also: How Generative AI Enables Solo Cybercriminals
From U.S. electrical grids to military-grade defense networks, the agency’s Information Innovation Office is spearheading projects that proactively detect, combat and eliminate software vulnerabilities, using cutting-edge AI tools and resilient software initiatives to protect critical infrastructure. DARPA’s mission dates back to 1957 after the launch of Soviet satellite Sputnik, which took the world by surprise.
“DARPA’s mission, in response to that, was to create or prevent strategic surprise. So, that has been an enduring mission that obviously shifts over time. There’s been rapid changes in the development of highly complex systems. For the development of AI here, we’re primarily focused on, ‘How do we use some of the latest advances in AI to find and fix vulnerabilities in software at speed and scale?'” asked Matt Turek, deputy director of the Information Innovation Office at DARPA.
p> In this video interview with Information Security Media Group at RSAC Conference 2025, Turek also discussed:
- DARPA’s mission to strengthen nation cybersecurity;
- Importance of maintaining a resilient system portfolio;
- The AI Cyber Challenge at DEFCON.
With nearly 30 years of experience under his belt, Turek assumed the role of deputy office director for DARPA’s Information Innovation Office in May 2022. In this position, he provides technical leadership and guides program managers to envision, create and transition capabilities that ensure an enduring information advantage for the United States and its allies.
