Conversations in Computing: Bruce Schneier on Hacking AI
Thursday, October 22 , 2026, 5 – 7 p.m.
Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus
108 College St, Toronto, ON M5G 0C6
Abstract: Humans are hacking AI systems. Humans are hacking with AI systems. But also, AIs are hacking human systems. They’re finding and exploiting vulnerabilities in computer code, and they’ll soon be doing the same with all sorts of other codes. For example: the tax code can be hacked. Vulnerabilities are called loopholes, exploits are called tax avoidance strategies, and black hats are called accountants. Similarly, financial markets can be hacked. So can any system of rules or laws, including democracy itself. AIs will hack these systems at our request, and they’ll also do this innately, organically – and possibly in ways we don’t immediately see. We need to consider a world where increasingly sophisticated hacks or our social, economic, and political systems are discovered computer speeds, and then exploited at computer scale and scope. Right now, our systems of patching these systems operate at a human pace, which won't be good enough.
Bio: Bruce Schneier is an internationally renowned security technologist, called a “security guru” by The Economist. He is the author of over one dozen books — including his latest, Rewiring Democracy — as well as hundreds of articles and essays, and many more academic papers. His influential newsletter Crypto-Gram and his blog Schneier on Security are read by over 250,000 people. He has testified before Congress, is a frequent guest on television and radio, served on several government technical committees, and is regularly quoted in the press.
About Conversations in Computing
One Season. Many Conversations.
Conversations in Computing is the Department of Computer Science’s event series bringing together researchers and bold thinkers for a season of conversations about the ideas shaping computer science today. Expect a mix of sharp debates, talks that spark big ideas, hands-on knowledge shares, and the wildcard Reboot Roulette.
At its core, this series is about dialogue. From Department of Computer Science faculty trading ideas with leading computer scientists from around the world in some sessions to guest scholars taking the stage solo in others, digging into the issues shaping the field. It’s a chance to see how the people building the future actually think, argue, and imagine what's next.