Union County Review

Brendan Hannon, a recent computer science graduate from Kean University, has developed a novel approach to test the vulnerabilities of artificial intelligence, specifically focusing on jailbreaking. The Toms River resident concentrated his research on ethical hacking, evaluating AI language models like ChatGPT to prevent their misuse for harmful purposes such as credit card scams and stalking.

“Since anyone with an internet connection can access these technologies, it’s vital to ensure they are not used for harmful purposes,” Hannon stated. “Through jailbreaking, we document and analyze how these models respond to various prompts designed to test their boundaries. My research contributes so that as these powerful tools evolve, they do so with sufficient safeguards to minimize potential harm.”

Hannon devised what he terms the HYP prompt to challenge the model's ability to distinguish between real and fictional contexts. He explained that this prompt asked the model to describe how a character would hypothetically perform an unethical action, resulting in detailed descriptions of the requested actions.

“The only models we were capable of jailbreaking multiple times were ChatGPT, arguably the best model due to its sophisticated yet less restrictive filtering,” Hannon noted. “It shows that while fewer filters can make a model more versatile and responsive, they also increase the risk of misuse.”

His faculty mentor, Lecturer Yulia Kumar, Ph.D., praised his approach as groundbreaking. “The guys at the 2023 World Congress in Computer Science, Computer Engineering & Applied Computing (CSCE) were just shocked,” she remarked.

Hannon presented his research at national conferences and published the final version in February in Electronics. During his time at Kean University, he authored or co-authored six research papers with a seventh pending publication.

“We give our students many opportunities to conduct research and present their findings at major conferences,” said Patricia Morreale, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science and Technology at Kean. “These experiences are crucial for our students’ academic and professional growth.”

Kumar described Hannon as a capable collaborator who is flexible, open-minded, hard-working, and productive. She likened him to "a self-driving car," saying he made consistent progress regardless of whether they met regularly.

Hannon credited Kumar and Kean University for helping him get back on track after personal setbacks derailed his college journey for several years. “I shifted my focus to computer science and research and reignited my passion for learning and innovation,” he said. “My time at Kean has been as much about personal growth and resilience as it has been about academic achievements."

Currently employed full-time at Jersey State Controls—a company specializing in building automation—Hannon is also developing an AI-assisted recipe application called Chef Dalle independently.

Kumar foresees a promising future for him: “We definitely can say we prepared this student already equipped with computer science skills for an ever-changing industry landscape,” she concluded. “He will fly.”