Daniel Schiappa is the Director of Product at Arctic Wolfa global leader in security operations.
The buzz around artificial intelligence (AI) has reached fever pitch, with virtually every industry exploring the potential benefits or downsides of using generative AI (GAI) and large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT or Google Bard to improve their efficiency.
Cybersecurity, which is powered by Big Data and evolves at the pace of innovation, is one of the most compelling use cases for the latest evolution of AI. Businesses that can leverage AI for their security needs can more quickly identify patterns and anomalies in their environment. But despite all the hype, security officials say there’s still plenty of room for human-centered security and they’re not yet ready to hand over the keys to the machines.
AI, computing and cybersecurity
Although security leaders have been using AI-based tools to aid in threat detection for many years, there are several reasons why humans can provide even more value. The most prevalent one, so far, is that executives are simply not prepared to deal with such complex and rapidly evolving technology in their security operations centers. In a recent investigation, we found that 39% of respondents lack the technical staff and skills needed to manage AI solutions, meaning less than a quarter are currently spending the majority of their budget on AI solutions. AI-based solutions. Of course, the benefit of AI-based tools is that they, in theory, take the burden off humans, but as the adage goes, AI is only as good as the training data and is most valuable when used by an expert. Learning how to use technology takes time, resources and skills, none of which any IT manager has in abundance. The best security and security intelligence outcomes will come from a healthy blend of AI and human intelligence, with each side leveraging its strengths, adding context for humans to detect AI-related anomalies . However, it will take time for security practitioners to refine this new relationship and AI models to replicate the expertise of the human practitioner.
Other potential obstacles cited by these IT leaders include a lack of regulation surrounding the technology, unproven return on investment, and the possibility of accidental misuse of the technology. It is possible that these concerns will ease over time as AI becomes easier to use and more widely integrated into society, but unfortunately it is unclear how long this will take. To drive the point home, only 52% of security managers believe that AI tools will deliver more cost-effective security outcomes than those provided by human security practitioners, showing that executives are still skeptical about the value AI brings at this stage. Fortunately, the more expertise humans have in manipulating AI to help them achieve better security outcomes, the better they can fill this gap.
The next steps
So what role will AI play in security operations in the future? The answer does not appear to lie in replacing humans, but in making cybersecurity practitioners even more effective and efficient. The technology will certainly improve threat detection, as 61% of respondents strongly believe that AI will surpass humans in this regard, but perhaps more importantly, the technology will likely enable today’s security practitioners to combat threat detection. burnout and stress by allowing them to focus only on threats. the most critical security incidents, instead of spending time sifting through security events to determine which ones should be escalated and which can be left alone. The technology can also act as a natural language interface to make it easier for security professionals to find what they are looking for when navigating an IT environment.
With cybersecurity being a 24/7 job, any leeway security teams can gain through AI will be greatly appreciated, as burnout is a significant factor in the global security talent shortage . A study published earlier this year found that 85% of security professionals said they planned to leave their position due to burnout. It is therefore important to address the potential role of AI in alleviating some of the burden.
Ultimately, while the hype around AI is real, the most powerful, effective, and accurate security teams still leverage a blend of human intelligence and AI, and will continue to do so. do for the foreseeable future. Without intelligent and knowledgeable professionals, an AI-based security system will not reach its full potential. The same goes for an all-human team that resists the promises of AI tools. The future of AI in cybersecurity is one where human intelligence and AI coexist to enhance each other.
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