In an op-ed published by Tech Policy Press, Ann Cleaveland, Executive Director of the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity, argues that, in the face of significant new cyber threats resulting from artificial intelligence, there is an urgent need to “turbo-charge” human-driven initiatives focused on providing cybersecurity assistance to low-resource organizations. Cleaveland proposes a coordinated effort called “Project Kaleidoscope” that integrates approaches such as cyber volunteering, shared service hubs, and regional ecosystems of cyber defense.
In the piece, Cleaveland points to the recent development of AI technologies like Anthropic’s Claude Mythos and OpenAI’s GPT-5.5 that, in early experiments, have proved to be highly effective in finding vulnerabilities in digital networks. “This has led to predictions of ‘bugmaggedon,’ the idea that when released to the public, Mythos and similarly powerful models will hand cyberattackers the ability to compromise the digital infrastructure underlying all of modern life faster than defenders can protect it,” Cleaveland writes.
The rise of such technologies has potential to “disproportionately affect organizations that are already least prepared to protect themselves or recover from cyberattacks,” Cleaveland writes. “‘Patch Tuesday’ is not a realistic expectation for the small dentist’s office, the food bank, the volunteer fire department, the public school, or the rural electric co-op and water utility.”
Cleaveland argues that technology alone will not be sufficient to address the challenge, which is “more about humans than it is about technology.” Instead, she explains, “hands-on support is imperative to improve cybersecurity outcomes for community-serving organizations…. Trusted human networks are still the best way to deliver cybersecurity help. In an environment where bugs are found faster than humans can patch them and we rely on AI for cyber defense, access to hands-on cybersecurity expertise is essential.”
Cleaveland calls for the expansion of local support networks, noting that “service-minded groups” like the Cyber Resilience Corps (including the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics); state civilian cyber corps; and the CyberPeace Builders have already deployed thousands of cyber volunteers. Other existing solutions include regional security operations centers, specialized nonprofits, and research universities that are “bridging research and practice to better understand and replicate what works best.”
“The task now is to turbo-charge these human-centered initiatives to meet the new reality of AI’s capabilities,” Cleaveland writes. “Anthropic calls its pre-release regime Project Glasswing, in reference to the glasswing butterfly, which can hide in plain sight. Let’s call this effort Project Kaleidoscope — the swarm of butterflies that we need to defend our communities.”
Cleaveland outlines a roadmap for Project Kaleidoscope that includes scaling up cyber volunteering, creating and funding shared service hubs, developing regional ecosystems and “connective tissue” that link volunteers, and embedding cyber knowledge in communities. “Government, academia, industry and civil society all have a role to play, and we can act regardless of whether or how soon federal AI regulation arrives,” Cleaveland writes. “A successful cyberattack on one organization has ripple effects across an entire community, and we can’t afford to wait for bugmaggedon to occur. It’s time to include community organizations in our responses and invest in what really works on the ground: people who can help.”
