Cyber Threats Grow in Belize; Are We Ready for AI-Powered Hacks?

From hacked Facebook accounts to online scams and stolen personal information, cybercrime is becoming a growing concern around the world. Officials in Belize City sounded the alarm on AI-driven cyber threats today. Government, local groups, and partners from the U.S. and Taiwan met to tackle how artificial intelligence is reshaping online security. With more Belizeans banking, working, and socializing online, leaders say protecting data, and building the skills to do it, is no longer optional.

 

Jose Urbina, CEO, Ministry of E-Governance

“As Belizeans we also need to believe in the Belizean product. We have excellent developers in-country and excellent products in-country, but when we say it’s made in Belize, we tend to hesitate and say, ‘I don’t think that is good enough for us.’ But if we say an international company did it, we glorify that company. So we need to improve our image as Belizeans and ensure that we leverage our expertise in-country and believe in our capacity also. As you well mentioned, this event could not have been possible without the partnership of the U.S. government and also the Taiwanese government. They also brought in international experts on the subject matter of cybersecurity and AI that they will be sharing during the day. And it’s important that as a government we build international relations with countries that have lived through cyber threats so that we gain from that knowledge. And we also need to understand how the bad actors use AI to improve their attack surface within the cybersecurity ecosystem. So because it is twofold, the purpose of what we’re doing today also includes how do we leverage AI to improve our security posture in-country and also recognizing the threats that come along from the use of AI tools to penetrate different networks.”

 

Urbina says interest in cybersecurity is growing, but Belize is losing talent. He points to a steady brain drain, with students who study abroad choosing not to return. Urbina says the country must create more opportunities at home to keep skilled professionals and build a stronger digital future.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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