Akamai’s Strategic and Transparent Implementation of AI
Some companies are inventors (i.e., they create brand-new technologies), some are innovators (they change the direction of existing markets with new innovations), and some are adopters (they implement other companies’ inventions).
Although artificial intelligence (AI) had been a topic of academic discussions for a long time, ChatGPT made AI available to the masses in an instant. We were all faced with one of the greatest shifts in how we work because AI was suddenly so accessible — and the AI adopters had to act more quickly than ever before. It seemed like all of us — no matter our role or our industry — were expected to begin harnessing the potential of AI immediately.
AI washing
It is not surprising, therefore, that companies began to suggest they had adopted AI and adapted their current offerings before they had truly done so.
AI washing, the practice of adding words such as “AI-powered” to existing products to make them sound like they use AI (when indeed they don’t yet) has become common in many industries — so common that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is fining companies for AI washing their offerings.
The cybsersecurity industry is no exception; many vendors we have known for years instantly claimed to be “AI native.” A short walk across this year’s RSA Conference exhibition hall would give you an idea about how many vendors have jumped on the buzzword bandwagon.
AI transparency
Of course, not every company is AI washing. There are many legitimate implementations of AI in security products, but at this early stage in our collective AI journey, it’s important to dig below the surface to understand exactly what offerings involve AI, how that specific use of AI benefits your organization, and how it might put it at risk.
This blog post will make that digging easier and more transparent for those interested in how Akamai is using AI.
Invent, innovate, and strategically adopt
Akamai has been an inventor (with our content delivery network technology) and an innovator (in areas such as web application and API protection, microsegmentation, and more), but we have always been strategic about adoption, choosing to evaluate all aspects of an innovation thoroughly before announcing new products.
AI is no exception. Our journey began nearly 10 years ago, when we started implementing machine learning in products that are often considered the beginning of AI implementations. Today, we have new features in our products that use large language models and generative AI, but there were many smaller steps in between, which are outlined in the timeline.
Akamai's implementation of ML and AI in its products over the years
Akamai’s latest AI enhancements
Two of the latest examples of our AI-powered features were announced with our recent launch of the Akamai Guardicore Platform on April 30, 2024. The Akamai Guardicore Platform is a Zero Trust platform that provides integrated microsegmentation, Zero Trust network access, DNS firewall, and managed threat hunting capabilities.
In the process of that integration, we added significant enhancements that include AI-based functionalities, wizards, and reports to help our customers expand their network visibility and ease policy implementation. These specific AI enhancements include easier communication with your network and faster labeling.
Easier communication
Akamai Guardicore Platform users can communicate with their network logs using natural language to help expedite compliance efforts and time-sensitive incident response activity.
Faster labeling
Creating Zero Trust policy requires an accurate inventory of each asset that needs protection, a process that begins with labeling — a notoriously difficult, manual, and time-consuming task. The Akamai Guardicore Platform leverages AI to look into the way these assets are behaving to suggest labels. These suggestions come with a confidence score, as well as an explanation as to why the label was chosen.
And these are just the beginning — there are more AI enhancements to come.
AI implementations you can trust
AI is changing the way we work every day. With Akamai products and solutions, you can trust that the AI implementations are based on real capabilities that have been part of our innovation journey.
We will continue to explore AI implementations with the diligence and confidence we feel is necessary to maintain our leadership within the industry and the trust of our customers.