Forecasts for 2025 indicate significant developments and challenges in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity.
Michael Adjei, director of systems engineering at Illumio, predicted a “mad rush for AI guidelines and frameworks,” comparing it to past efforts to regulate social media. “With GenAI tools now ubiquitous, 2025 will see a frenzied rush to master AI – just as we saw with social media. The focus will be on protecting users and putting in place frameworks for protect the AI from other AIs.
Frameworks and guidelines will be pushed at three levels: international (e.g. EU), regional (e.g. NCSC) and organizational. The organizational level will likely be more effective due to clear guidelines on acceptable use and safety, while higher levels will become less effective. International regulations often leave room for interpretation, allowing companies to circumvent them. »
He further warned of an increased focus of attackers on AI supply chains. “In 2025, attackers will focus on AI supply chains. They will look for the sources, namely the suppliers of GenAI tools and co-pilots. This will lead to more breaches involving AI companies, with cybercriminals exploiting product vulnerabilities that expose customer data.
Attackers will also target AI hardware supply chains, such as energy sources, to significantly disrupt operations and services, especially as reliance on GenAI increases.
This growing reliance on AI is expected to lead to difficulties in maintaining control over autonomous machines. “As AI integrates with autonomous machines for greater efficiency, malfunctions can occur, particularly in production lines and vehicles. These issues could disrupt global supply chains, impact product availability or, in severe cases, cause injury or death.
The root of these problems lies in the dark side of AI, which is often proprietary and not subject to the level of control necessary to ensure security. Vulnerabilities, sloppy coding, and biases tend to only appear when users interact with generative AI tools. Unfortunately, this also means that cybercriminals can detect these weaknesses at the same time. »
Adjei also highlighted a crucial decision facing Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs): “Next year, CISOs will be forced to make a choice between investing in people or AI – and the majority will choose AI! This transition to AI will exacerbate the skills gap. because funding will be devoted only to AI skills – a limited area – to the detriment of internships and training courses.
When it comes to IT and cybersecurity, the teams most likely to be affected by the shift toward AI investments will be SOC teams, incident response teams, and programmers. Organizations will view these roles as ones that AI can quickly automate, resulting in a loss of critical skills within these teams. »
Gary Barlet, Public Sector CTO at Illumio, discussed the “cyber challenges” expected in 2025, particularly highlighting the cybersecurity skills gap. “One of the most pressing cybersecurity challenges in 2025 will be the cybersecurity skills gap. Agencies’ ability to scale up their cybersecurity efforts depends on their ability to fully implement emerging technologies and modern defense strategies. To truly advance cybersecurity, agencies will need to innovate in recruitment and retention, creating incentives that resonate with potential and current employees. »
Barlet noted that artificial intelligence technology will play a role in closing this gap. “By 2025, rapid advances in artificial intelligence-driven cyber tools will reshape defense strategies, enabling agencies to close the cybersecurity skills gap while maximizing limited resources. These smart tools will allow teams to do more with less, increasing defense capabilities without proportionally expanding them. As agencies adopt these innovations, the true impact of AI will exceed expectations, leading to an explosion in cybersecurity effectiveness and resilience.
On ransomware, Barlet said: “Agencies will prioritize internal defenses and post-intrusion strategies over traditional perimeter security, recognizing that the fight against cyberattacks is moving inward. Advanced attacks will increasingly target industries like education and healthcare, making data encryption and network segmentation essential. “
He also highlighted the importance of Zero Trust architectures. “State and local governments will significantly expand their adoption of Zero Trust architectures to better protect critical public infrastructure. As threats evolve and target mission-critical systems at all levels, these governments will prioritize granular access controls, network segmentation, and continuous verification to reduce vulnerabilities and limit attackers’ movements. Zero trust principles will become a cornerstone of security strategy, helping state and local governments build resilience and protect citizen data from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.
Finally, Barlet stressed the need to redouble efforts to protect critical infrastructure sectors. “Critical infrastructure sectors will need to accelerate their cybersecurity efforts, prioritizing ‘presume a breach’ principles as they face intensifying geopolitical cyber threats. In 2025, utilities, transportation, healthcare and energy will focus heavily on advanced threat detection, segmentation and rapid incident response. to contain potential breaches before they disrupt essential services. With increased investment and strategic partnerships, these sectors will work to strengthen their defenses and protect public safety against increasingly sophisticated, state-sponsored attacks.
