HARNESSING THE NEXT-GEN CYBERSECURITY SYSTEMS: A SMART DEFENCE MECHANISM DETECTING THREATS, EMPLOYING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING APPLICATIONS, SOLVING CHALLENGES AND ETHICAL DILEMMAS

In a digital economy, where human dependence on technology has accelerated and revolutionised ecosystems, cyber threats have also increased drastically leading to constant conflicts between cyber safety tools and malicious performance tactics. Although conventional cyber security mechanisms are striving to keep a constant check on adverse behaviours, current generation digital agencies are rapidly ripening to employ Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) as safety rails to prevent digital threats. This research paper highlights defining cyber security, a broad overview of the concept and its developing landscape, and its critical significance in various fields. The white paper further goes on to discuss the role of AI and ML applications related to this field—detecting advanced threats and predictive abilities, automating incident response, identifying system vulnerabilities and anomaly detection systems. The paper concludes with the critical examination of ethical dilemmas, data privacy concerns, possibility of algorithmic predisposition and the defenselessness that originates when AI becomes a target itself.