Opportunities and Challenges of Using Artificial Intelligence in Securing Cyber-Physical Systems

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) integrate computation, communication, and physical systems, facilitating the provision of innovative services in various application domains, including critical infrastructures. While these systems offer numerous benefits, they are vulnerable to cyberattacks that can physically harm individuals and damage the environment. Hence, securing CPS is a critical issue. In this context, artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly fundamental role in addressing these security challenges. It has the potential to enhance the detection of anomalies, mitigate security threats, predict potential component or subsystem failures, create self-managing and responsive computing systems, evaluate system security, and provide faster, more effective incident responses. However, the use of AI in securing CPS also presents challenges, such as ensuring the reliability and interpretability of AI models and addressing ethical and legal considerations. In this chapter, we explore the opportunities and challenges associated with using AI to secure CPS, identify open issues, and suggest areas for future research.