Monday, August 31, 2026
Tech Beat
Aug 31, 2026, 3:19 PMCybersecurity

How AI could make it harder for governments to use hacking tools

Earlier in August, cryptography professor Matthew Green wrote a controversial thread on X and a longer blog post that went viral within the cybersecurity…

Summary

Earlier in August, cryptography professor Matthew Green wrote a controversial thread on X and a longer blog post that went viral within the cybersecurity community. Green, who has long been a close observer of the debate around the use of hacking tools by governments to fight crime and the need for strong encryption to protect the privacy of innocent people, posited a provocative thought: What if AI makes bugs so scarce that law enforcement and intelligence agencies are unable to lawfully hack criminals anymore? “I’m concerned that AI is going to make software much too secure,” Green wrote, warning that the U. government may lose access to security flaws to hack into targets they need to surveil as companies patch an unprecedented volume of bugs.

Positives

  • The report adds a new data point to the technology market.
  • The development may create new product, research, or competitive opportunities.

Risks & concerns

  • “I’m concerned that AI is going to make software much too secure,” Green wrote, warning that the U.
  • The concept of “going dark” was popularized in 2014 at a time when then-FBI director James Comey warned that encryption could hamper authorities from being able to listen in on conversations or access data on devices.
Primary sourceTechCrunchhttps://techcrunch.com/2026/08/31/how-ai-could-make-it-harder-for-governments-to-use-hacking-tools/
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