Distinguished Professor, Department of Information Management, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology Tzong-Chen Wu
Trust and Resilience in the AI Era
Building Zero‑Trust Defenses from Edge to Supply Chain
At this historic turning point marked by the rapid rise of generative AI and the advancement of quantum computing, deepfake technologies and automated attacks have left traditional perimeter defenses increasingly inadequate. Breakthroughs in quantum technology also directly threaten the existing foundations of digital trust. As a member of the advisory committee, I must emphasize that trust and resilience are the absolute cornerstones for enterprises to survive amid these dual threats of disruption. In this context, building a Zero Trust defense that spans edge computing, supply chains, and post quantum cryptography (PQC) has evolved from a technical option into an unavoidable operational strategy. Zero Trust is not merely a pursuit of rigid, absolute security; rather, it is a high‑level risk‑management framework whose core lies in empowering enterprises with highly sensitive anomaly detection and robust risk‑control capabilities.
Traditional defense mechanisms risk becoming ineffective in the AI era. Because AI operates like a black box, hackers can easily bypass firewalls through logical manipulation, so defense must shift from static blocking to dynamic assessment. However, if every system behavior is subjected to exhaustive monitoring, enterprise efficiency will inevitably collapse. Administrators therefore need to introduce decision support based on behavioral analysis, elevating simple connection monitoring into intelligent risk inference that can precisely detect anomalies without disrupting operations. This is a concrete example of effectively reframing complex technical protocols into management friendly language, bridging communication gaps across departments.
To ensure that the Zero Trust framework is lightweight and streamlined, defense must be advanced to the front, making edge computing critical. In the past, endpoint devices were passive clients with limited computing resources. Today, with increasing processing capacity across smart manufacturing and vehicle‑to‑everything (V2X) systems, every endpoint can evolve into an autonomous, self-defending node. When every link in the supply chain is equipped with real‑time edge defense, a breach at a single node can be instantly detected, effectively blocking further lateral attacks. This decentralized defense network prevents risks from spreading unchecked across vast supply chains, thereby achieving true operational resilience.
While building upper-layer applications, we must not overlook the disruptive challenges facing base-layer cryptography. Confronted with the harvest now, decrypt later (HNDL) cybersecurity threat, current encryption algorithms risk sudden collapse. Preemptively deploying post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is not merely an R&D task but a top‑level corporate risk‑mitigation strategy. We must seamlessly integrate PQC into edge devices, and this is a challenge that demands performance breakthroughs under limited resources. I am pleased to see our team’s recent success in optimizing PQC computational efficiency. This achievement demonstrates the robustness of our cryptographic foundation. Only with a secure base in cryptography can upper‑layer AI applications and Zero Trust architectures deliver genuine defensive power.
Ultimately, technology without top-tier cybersecurity governance and supply chain trust is nothing more than a castle in the air. Drawing inspiration from Michael Porter’s value chain theory, we must treat cybersecurity as a value chain in its own right. Defense mechanisms must be integrated as a standard feature of every production phase. Automated governance processes can then transform security from a mere cost burden into a core competitive advantage that earns trust from global clients. Leadership must craft a precise investment portfolio that balances baseline protection with advanced defense for sensitive data. In technology R&D, a vast gap often separates academic innovation from commercial deployment. Academia pursues single‑point excellence, while industry demands cost‑effective, practical solutions that resolve pain points. I highly commend the Hon Hai Research Institute’s unique strength. Its team not only advances PQC and AI security but also wields the industrial capability to translate complex academic research into impactful, market‑ready solutions.
I particularly admire the Chairman’s strategic vision. He shares some of the research outcomes with the industry to build an ecosystem while keeping the most critical, proprietary technologies as strategic assets. This dual track strategy of open collaboration while consolidating the company’s core competencies is the key to sustaining global leadership and building the strongest defense against the security challenges posed by AI and quantum computing.
