Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the cybersecurity landscape, presenting both unprecedented opportunities and significant challenges for professionals in the field. By 2025 and beyond, AI will not only become a powerful tool in the hands of defenders but also a formidable weapon for attackers, necessitating a fundamental shift in the roles, responsibilities, and skillset of cybersecurity professionals. This article explores the impact of AI on the future of cybersecurity, drawing insights from industry experts.
The Evolving Role of the Cybersecurity Professional
The consensus among experts is that AI will automate many routine and repetitive tasks currently performed by cybersecurity professionals. This includes threat detection, incident response, vulnerability scanning, and even some aspects of root cause analysis.
Roland Daccache, Senior Manager – Sales Engineering at CrowdStrike MEA, points out, “AI will augment cybersecurity professionals, cutting through the overwhelming amounts of data SOC teams face and enabling real-time analysis. AI-driven automation can turn hours of mundane work into minutes.” This automation will free up human defenders to focus on more strategic and complex tasks, such as threat intelligence, proactive risk management, and developing robust cybersecurity strategies.
Ilyas Mohammed, COO at AmiViz, envisions cybersecurity professionals becoming more strategic: “AI will transform cybersecurity roles by automating repetitive tasks and enhancing threat detection, allowing professionals to focus on strategic responsibilities like threat intelligence and proactive risk management.” This shift requires professionals to evolve from reactive responders to proactive defenders, anticipating and mitigating threats before they can cause damage.
The Rise of AI-Powered Threats
While AI offers powerful defensive capabilities, it also empowers attackers. Alexey Lukatsky, Managing Director and Cybersecurity Business Consultant at Positive Technologies, warns, “According to Positive Technologies’ research, cybercriminals increasingly use AI, forcing cybersecurity professionals to adopt these technologies for protection.” AI can be used to create more sophisticated and evasive malware, generate convincing phishing attacks, and even create deepfakes for social engineering. This necessitates a constant arms race, with cybersecurity professionals needing to stay one step ahead of AI-powered attacks.
Oleg Ishanov, Director of Threat Research (TRU) at Acronis, emphasizes the dynamic nature of the threat landscape: “AI-powered cyberthreats and threat actors will continue to evolve, leveraging what worked in previous years, and picking up new advanced AI services… It will make the threat landscape more dynamic and require faster adoption of new tools and techniques.”
Critical Skills for the AI-Powered World
To thrive in this new landscape, cybersecurity professionals must acquire a new set of skills and knowledge. A fundamental understanding of AI and machine learning is crucial. Professionals need to understand how AI algorithms work, how they can be trained, and how they can be manipulated.
Morey Haber, Chief Security Advisor, BeyondTrust, notes, “Cyber security professionals will need to advance their skill sets related to AI in order to determine if AI business models that are being used have been compromised, altered, or inappropriately, trained for some malicious intent.”
Data analysis skills are also essential. AI systems generate vast amounts of data, and professionals need to be able to analyze this data to identify patterns, anomalies, and potential threats. Furthermore, understanding ethical considerations related to AI is becoming increasingly important.
Marc Manzano, General Manager – Cybersecurity, SandboxAQ, recommends, “I would highly recommend having a foundation on AI and ML basics, what is Adversarial AI, and what are the traditional risks associated with AI. Moreover, the ethics and governance aspects are also pivotal, to ensure AI systems are used responsibly and align with organizational policies and regulatory requirements.”
Bridging the Skills Gap
Recognizing the growing need for AI-related skills, many organizations are investing in training and development programs for their cybersecurity teams. Companies like CrowdStrike, as mentioned by Roland Daccache, are offering specialized training and certifications focused on maximizing the AI capabilities of their platforms. Others, like Positive Technologies, are sharing research and open-source tools to help professionals gain hands-on experience with AI.
Ilyas Mohammed highlights AmiViz’s approach: “We plan to help our customers and their employees acquire essential AI and cybersecurity skills through tailored training programs, workshops, and certifications.” This commitment to education and skills development is crucial for ensuring that cybersecurity professionals are prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the AI-powered world.
The Human Element Remains Crucial
Despite the increasing reliance on AI, the human element remains critical in cybersecurity. AI is a tool, and like any tool, it can be used for good or for evil. Human judgment, critical thinking, and ethical considerations are essential for ensuring that AI is used responsibly and effectively. As Sertan Selcuk, Vice President of METAP & CIS Regions for OPSWAT, emphasizes, “Human expertise will remain crucial for high-level problem-solving and ensuring AI systems align with organizational goals.”
Emad Fahmy, Systems Engineering Director at NETSCOUT, adds that “AI-driven insights can also help security teams strengthen their cybersecurity strategies in line with evolving trends.” Ultimately, the future of cybersecurity will depend on the collaboration between humans and AI, with humans providing the strategic thinking and ethical guidance, and AI providing the speed and efficiency needed to combat increasingly sophisticated threats.
Conclusion
AI is revolutionizing the cybersecurity landscape, creating both new threats and new opportunities. Cybersecurity professionals must adapt to this changing landscape by acquiring new skills, embracing new technologies, and evolving their roles to focus on more strategic and complex tasks. While AI will automate many routine tasks, the human element will remain crucial for ensuring that AI is used responsibly and effectively.19 The future of cybersecurity will depend on the ability of humans and AI to work together, combining human intelligence with the power of AI to create a more secure digital world.