The University of California is hosting a major cybersecurity conference next month that will bring together some of the nation's leading experts on artificial intelligence threats, deepfakes, and the hidden biases embedded in digital systems. The 2026 UC Cybersecurity Summit, titled "Resilient Together," will take place virtually on October 6 and 7, with registration now open for UC employees and affiliates.

The conference reflects a growing recognition that cybersecurity challenges have evolved far beyond traditional hacking and malware. Today's threat landscape includes AI-generated attacks, sophisticated deepfakes used to steal sensitive information, and the algorithmic discrimination that shapes how billions of people interact with search engines and digital platforms. The summit's speaker lineup underscores this shift toward addressing both technical and societal dimensions of digital security.

Who Are the Featured Speakers and What Will They Cover?

The summit features an impressive roster of experts from academia, industry, and journalism. Among them is Safiya U. Noble, Ph.D., a MacArthur Foundation "genius" award recipient whose 2018 book "Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism" sparked a national conversation about how digital systems can embed and amplify bias. Noble, who holds the David O. Sears presidential endowed chair of social sciences at UCLA and directs the UCLA DataX-Data Justice initiative, will discuss how artificial intelligence and search engine algorithms reinforce systemic oppression across racial, gender, class, and political dimensions.

The conference will also feature Alex Stamos, chief security officer at Corridor and a former chief security officer at Facebook and Yahoo, who currently lectures at Stanford. Stamos will lead a session on how AI is reshaping the threat landscape, explaining how attackers use artificial intelligence to find and exploit vulnerabilities in networks. Other speakers include Kerry Tomlinson, a cyber news reporter at Ampyx News, who will present real-life examples of video and audio deepfakes used in scams, and Marti DeLiema, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota, who will address fraud targeting older adults.

What Are the Key Topics Being Addressed at the Summit?

The 2026 UC Cybersecurity Summit will cover a broad range of emerging threats and defensive strategies. The sessions span technical security practices, AI-driven attacks, deepfake detection, fraud prevention, privacy law, and critical infrastructure protection. Here's what attendees can expect to learn:

• AI and Network Defense: How artificial intelligence is reshaping how attackers find vulnerabilities and what organizations can do to prepare for this emerging threat landscape.
• Deepfake Threats and Scams: Real-world examples of how attackers use AI-generated video and audio to steal sensitive information, plus techniques for identifying and defending against AI-generated scams.
• Algorithmic Bias and Digital Rights: How digital technologies embed racial, gender, class, and political biases that can lead to marginalization and violations of fundamental rights.
• Fraud and Vulnerable Populations: Why older adults are prime targets for scammers and what cybersecurity professionals can do to protect retirement resources.
• Privacy and Security Law: The key differences between privacy and security, and how federal and state laws affect personal information and individual rights.
• Critical Infrastructure at Scale: How major institutions like UCLA are strengthening visibility, governance, and incident response to stay resilient against heightened cyber threats during high-profile events.

One particularly timely session will focus on UCLA's cybersecurity strategy for hosting the 2028 Olympics. Caesar Sedek, assistant chief information security officer at UCLA, will discuss how the university is preparing to defend critical infrastructure and research systems while hosting a major public event that will attract global attention and, inevitably, heightened cyber threats.

How to Prepare for AI-Powered Cybersecurity Threats

For organizations and individuals looking to strengthen their defenses against AI-driven attacks, the summit's agenda suggests several practical areas of focus:

• Develop AI Literacy: Understand how attackers use artificial intelligence to automate and scale attacks, and learn to recognize the signs of AI-generated deepfakes in video, audio, and text communications.
• Implement Verification Protocols: Establish procedures to verify the authenticity of sensitive communications, especially those requesting access to financial accounts, personal data, or critical systems, since deepfakes and AI-generated impersonations are becoming increasingly convincing.
• Address Algorithmic Bias in Your Systems: Audit digital systems and tools your organization uses to understand how they may embed or amplify bias, which can create security vulnerabilities and undermine trust with users and stakeholders.
• Protect Vulnerable Populations: Implement targeted education and safeguards for older adults and other groups that scammers specifically target, since they lose more money per incident than any other demographic.
• Plan for Scale: If your organization hosts public events or manages critical infrastructure, develop comprehensive cybersecurity strategies that account for heightened threat levels during high-visibility periods.

The summit's emphasis on both technical defense and systemic bias reflects a maturing understanding of cybersecurity. It's no longer enough to simply patch vulnerabilities and block malicious traffic. Organizations must also grapple with how the algorithms and AI systems they deploy can themselves become vectors for discrimination, manipulation, and harm.

When and How Can You Register?

The 2026 UC Cybersecurity Summit will run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Pacific Time on October 6, and from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time on October 7. The event is entirely virtual, making it accessible to UC employees and affiliates regardless of location. Registration requires a UC work email address and is now open on the summit's official website. Interested participants can also join the Cybersecurity Summit mailing list to receive updates on additional speakers and session details.

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape both how organizations defend themselves and how attackers operate, events like this summit provide essential opportunities for security professionals, researchers, and institutional leaders to share knowledge, learn from experts, and develop strategies to stay ahead of emerging threats.