CISPA@UCT: Public Lectures on Security Myths and AI Ethics

12 Feb 2026
AI & Cybersecurity
12 Feb 2026

The AI Initiative, UCT School of IT and Cybersecurity Capacity Centre for South Africa (C3SA) we are excited to host two leading researchers from CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security on Friday, 13 February 2026 for thought-provoking public talks that challenge common assumptions in cybersecurity and AI.

Talk 1: Security Myths and the Spread of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt

Time: 13:00 - 13:45 SAST

Users of digital systems are bombarded with security and privacy advice. Not all this advice, given by security experts and authorities, is helpful, usable, or even based on evidence. In this talk, Dr Jonas Hielscher will look at famous security myths, explore the underlying causes for their spread and discuss why the spread of myths lead to fear, uncertainty and doubt among users and subsequently to misconceptions and dangerous behaviour. He will also discuss a recent study with 12,000 participants (1,000 from South Africa) exploring security misconceptions around the world.

Talk 2: AI for Social Good: When Good Intentions Fail

Time: 13:45 - 14:30 SAST

In this talk, Dr Krikamol Muandet explores the gap between the aspirational promise of AI for social good and the realities of deploying AI systems in complex, high-stakes settings. It examines how well-intentioned interventions can produce unintended harms when confronted with epistemic uncertainty, data limitations, misaligned incentives, and strategic behavior. By unpacking these recurring failure modes, the talk argues for a more epistemically humble, mechanism-aware, and responsibility-driven approach to the design and governance of AI systems intended for social benefit.

Event Details: 
Friday, 13 February 2026 
13:00 - 14:30 SAST
CS 203, Computer Sciences Building, University of Cape Town Upper Campus

Both talks are open to all. Whether you're in tech, policy, academia, or simply curious about how we can build more trustworthy digital systems, these insights are essential. See more information about our speakers here.