Introducing AI to Cybersecurity

As a speaker at the CornCon cybersecurity conference in Davenport, Iowa, Samson Quaye (Ph.D. IT 3rd Year) and his student research team took part in a panel discussion titled Automated Target Profiling: Leveraging AI and OSINT for Offensive Cybersecurity, which focused on artificial intelligence-driven intelligence gathering and real-world cybersecurity applications.

“Presenting at conferences and participating in advanced training programs have increased my confidence, expanded my professional network, and clarified the direction I want to pursue in my academic and professional career,” Samson says.

The research project that Samson and his team presented introduces an open-source intelligence (OSINT) platform that is driven by AI to automate target profiling by collecting data from multiple social media platforms and transforming it into a structured intelligence report. The system integrates large language models, computer vision, and cloud-based scalability to enhance offensive cybersecurity operations.

The methodology was based on “Automated Target Profiling: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for Open‑Source Intelligence Collection,” research conducted by Samson’s academic adviser, Illinois Tech Associate Professor of Information Technology and Management Maurice Dawson, and other researchers.

“Illinois Tech is different because of its strong emphasis on applied learning, research, and real-world problem solving,” Samson says. “The close collaboration between students and faculty, combined with hands-on coursework and a focus on innovation, creates an environment where theory is consistently connected to practice. This is important because it prepares students not just to understand complex problems, but to actively develop solutions that have real impact.”

He says that ongoing and upcoming research is discussed at regular lab meetings at the Center for Cybersecurity and Forensic Education (C²SAFE), which helps to foster a collaborative and welcoming environment at Illinois Tech’s campus.

“Beyond academics, we often go out for lunch or dinner together and spend time talking and sharing ideas,” he says. “Those moments of collaboration and camaraderie with classmates and colleagues are experiences I will always value.”

He received the 2024 CIFAR Inclusive AI Scholarship, which allowed him to attend a two-week program at the Vector Institute at the University of Toronto where he gained practical exposure to deep learning, reinforcement learning, and the foundations of neural networks.  During his studies at Illinois Tech, Samson wrote and published a research paper on AI-powered cybersecurity models for training and testing Internet of Things devices.

“Seeing the work accepted and published in a Q1 engineering journal was very rewarding, as it validated months of research and experimentation,” he says. “The experience strengthened my interest in research, improved my academic writing skills, and reinforced my goal of contributing meaningful, real-world solutions to cybersecurity challenges.”

Through coursework, teaching assistant experience, and active research with his adviser, Samson says he is developing skills that will allow him to contribute meaningful solutions to emerging cybersecurity challenges and that will help him achieve his goal to continue producing impactful research and educating future professionals to help build more secure and responsible AI systems.

“Illinois Tech has prepared me well for my next step by strengthening my research, teaching, and analytical skills through hands-on coursework and close faculty mentorship,” Samson says. “My post-graduation plan is to continue using the knowledge and experience I’ve gained to conduct impactful research and to teach and mentor others, contributing to the advancement of cybersecurity and AI security education.”