Next, a Cybersecurity Thriller | (dot)security
(dot)security | A space by JACOPO FRANCESCHINI
What if an artificial intelligence is aiming to control humanity and only a big tech visionary multi-millionaire and an FBI agent want to stop it? This is the plot of Next, a new TV show produced by Star, available on Disney+, tackling the issue of our individual and societal cybersecurity.
The concept of an artificial intelligent being devoted to the enslavement and destruction of humankind has been already used in movies and tv series, Skynet of Terminator is probably the most famous example coming from Hollywood. The peculiarity of Next is not depicting a new type of Cyber antagonist on the screen. The interesting factor of this tv Serie is showing to its public how the cyberspace around us is vulnerable to possible threats. The AI of Next, in order to act its hegemonical plane, is able to manipulate, surveille, ransom and kill people by using the myriads of devices we use in our daily life. The evil AI hinders the investigations over its plan exploiting cyberspace through the virtual assistant AI’s (e.g. Alexa), modifying criminal records database, creating public disorders by diffusing fake news and changing drugs dosage in healthcare IT networks. Luckily
Next is a sci-fi tv series but it has the capacity to utilize real and concrete cybersecurity vulnerabilities of our world to make the watcher feel and understand that cyberthreats are not a matter for hackers but are present in our everyday routines.