The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Avast are opening a joint laboratory focused on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering CTU, together with Avast, is developing research into artificial intelligence and machine learning. This is the first of its kind in this area. The Avast AI and Cybersecurity Laboratory (abbreviated AAICL), where most of the research will take place, is located on the Faculty campus at Charles Square.

Avast will provide its extensive threat data from more than 400 million devices, and researchers at the Artificial Intelligence Center of the Department of Computer Science will provide knowledge of complex threats. Collaborative research aims to find out how to prevent and deflect the attempts of cybercriminals trying to use new technologies and artificial intelligence for sophisticated attacks. The goal of the laboratory is, among other things, to publish and publish groundbreaking research results in this area, and to improve the Avast malware detection engine, including its artificial intelligence algorithms.

The AAICL will support the company with one million dollars (less than 23 million crowns) over the next five years. The investment will be used to conduct artificial intelligence and machine learning research, to acquire new talents and to strengthen the position of the leading academic institution in the field of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

AAICL is a continuation of Avast's earlier successful cooperation with CTU on several projects, including Aposemat research, which has been in operation since February 2018 and focuses on IoT devices (the Internet of Things); or the recent discovery of the Geost botnet, a banking virus that attacked Russian citizens.

The lab will be led by Sebastián García, a researcher at the Center of Artificial Intelligence, who will create a program with his team that will address the greatest cybersecurity issues of our time, including the detection of complex, evolving malware, IoT device security, and fake news identification and analysis. The full-time AAICL laboratory employs three scientists and up to 10 PhD. students from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. At the moment, not all positions are filled, so those interested in cooperation can contact the laboratory at takuskat@fel.cvut.cz.