AI on your Journey
Today, we are going to delve into a subject I've had very conflicting thoughts about—artificial intelligence—which have recently shifted in a more positive direction.
Per NASA's official documentation:
Artificial intelligence refers to computer systems that can perform complex tasks normally done by human-reasoning, decision making, creating, etc.
There is no single, simple definition of artificial intelligence because AI tools are capable of a wide range of tasks and outputs, but NASA follows the definition of AI found within EO 13960, which references Section 238(g) of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019.
Any artificial system that performs tasks under varying and unpredictable circumstances without significant human oversight, or that can learn from experience and improve performance when exposed to data sets.
- An artificial system developed in computer software, physical hardware, or other context that solves tasks requiring human-like perception, cognition, planning, learning, communication, or physical action.
- An artificial system designed to think or act like a human, including cognitive architectures and neural networks.
- A set of techniques, including machine learning that is designed to approximate a cognitive task.
- An artificial system designed to act rationally, including an intelligent software agent or embodied robot that achieves goals using perception, planning, reasoning, learning, communicating, decision-making, and acting.
However, in this post, I will be keeping it simple, focusing on AI models like ChatGPT and similar publicly available tools.
Negative ideas:
When artificial intelligence first became publicly available, I witnessed many individuals overusing the tool in their studies, leading to a loss of critical thinking skills and a heavy reliance on AI. This trend gave me a strong distaste for the idea of using AI—even for simple tasks—to the point where I refused to use any form of it.
Looking back, I realize I was blaming the tool rather than the individuals using it, which is not a healthy or logical way of thinking. By that same reasoning, nearly anything in the world could be considered bad.
A shift in mindset:
The idea of using AI as a learning tool was first introduced to me by one of my HackTheBox teammates. Until then, the most I had ever entertained the idea of AI was for correcting my awful grammar.
We were working on a box, and I was deep into researching and troubleshooting, trying to get something to work. Meanwhile, my teammate simply asked GPT to help write a script. At first, I thought, "Hey, that’s not really learning—you’re just kind of cheating."
But then they said something that really opened my mind: "You’re using AI to speed up your abilities and knowledge. AI isn’t going to root the box for you—it’ll only do what you tell it to do."
This idea really changed the way I thought about AI. I had never considered it as a strict tool designed to accelerate my ideas. AI can connect the dots faster than I can read three articles and identify the correlations to move forward.
Of course, this isn’t foolproof—if you use the tool incorrectly, it can quickly become more of a crutch than an aid.
AI should be used as an extension of your abilities—something that helps you level up your skills. This can be a hard concept to articulate, so let me give a few examples of how AI can assist in the learning process:
- Explaining new and complex topics
- Comparing tools and techniques
- Summarizing articles and documentation
- Analyzing payloads and commands
- Explaining known exploits
- Assisting in crafting custom scripts
- Helping with basic reverse engineering tasks
What does AI have to say about this?
Let's just ask AI why we should let it accompany us on this journey:
Why should I use you in my offensive security journey?
Because AI like me can be a versatile and accessible learning companion that accelerates your understanding and sharpens your skills. I can explain complex concepts in simple terms, help you practice real-world scenarios, and guide you through troubleshooting without the frustration of getting stuck. Whether you need help analyzing payloads, crafting custom scripts, or understanding intricate vulnerabilities, I’m here to assist anytime, anywhere. By using AI thoughtfully—as a tool to enhance your critical thinking rather than replace it—you can deepen your knowledge faster and stay ahead in the ever-evolving field of offensive security.