As AI-powered cyber threats increase daily, cybersecurity skills gap has reached 4 million people by 2023. Gardner theorizes By 2028, GenAI adoption will significantly reduce this gap, removing the need for specialized training for 50% of entry-level cybersecurity positions. This would alleviate a major challenge facing the cybersecurity community… but what about today?
Most businesses are eager to embrace the power of generative AI, but only a small proportion currently believe they have the technology, funding, culture and skills to support its adoption. The cybersecurity skills gap is at the heart of this gap, which is why the industry is already seeing changes in the way we work to create a safer world.
The AI Cyber Revolution Is Just Beginning
When computers first became commonplace, many feared that the new technology would steal their jobs. While some positions did indeed become obsolete, most simply evolved and adapted. Today, it’s hard to imagine working without a computer, let alone a smartphone.
Today, AI and GenAI promise to improve work to make it even more productive.
Eventually, these technologies will become as natural as using a laptop, but for now, society is still in the Wild West of this technology. As we explore this new frontier and learn how to use AI wisely, knowledge and best practices will grow. There will be more regulations and additional safety indicators around its use.
As with all technologies, AI could very well replace some aspects of some security roles. The cybersecurity industry will also continue to evolve and adapt, and changes are already underway, at a rapid pace.
How AI is Transforming Cybersecurity Roles Today
Perhaps the most buzzworthy change in cybersecurity is the steady increase in CISO responsibilities, which has only been reinforced by recent SEC regulation. Rather than working in the trenches as they once did, today’s CISOs are beginning to take on broader business-related responsibilities as they increasingly report directly to the CEO and are more actively involved in board decisions.
At the same time, new technologies, terms, and categories are often coined by thought leaders. Despite widespread fears of job losses, the cybersecurity community has not yet seen new roles emerge. Instead, it sees roles evolving and expects a whole new sphere of AI security specialist roles to emerge.
With the reduction of manual tasks and responsibilities for analysts, they are now learning how to handle AI-based cybersecurity technologies. As the technology becomes more powerful, professionals anticipate the introduction of more roles of AI security analysts or machine learning engineers who will verify and train AI-derived models and technologies.
Whatever the future holds, with 3.5 million With cybersecurity job openings expected to remain unfilled through 2025, the need for cybersecurity talent needs to be addressed now. While AI is not expected to significantly reduce this number, it is already augmenting work and improving and accelerating training and education. 86% of RSSIs They agree that this will help address security skills gaps and fill talent shortages.
Managing the current skills gap
As new capabilities and roles emerge in cyberspace, the cybersecurity community must prepare to address today’s growing threats. Taming this new Wild West of AI requires holistic and collaborative approaches that involve government, academia, and the private sector.
To attract, train, and retain skilled workers, for example, the industry needs more than just certification programs. It needs innovative solutions like the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Cyber Service Academy, which covers college tuition in exchange for service to the DoD after graduation, and the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations Grant Program, which addresses significant underrepresentation.
In addition to attracting new talent, we need to ensure that our education system is up to par. That means that instead of relying on university professors to conduct research in this area, we need to turn to experts working on the front lines of industry to ensure that our programs are aligned with real-world needs.
With their guidance, offerings like university SOC Labs can prepare students for the pace of cybersecurity careers by mimicking real-world experiences. Industry leaders can also serve as guest speakers or offer targeted courses that go beyond how AI is shaping emerging threats to also provide hands-on training and lectures on how AI technologies are being developed to respond more quickly to cyberthreats and cyberattacks.
The public and private sectors can also help support the wealth of exceptional associations committed to helping cybersecurity professionals develop.
Looking to the future
In the face of this critical fight, the cybersecurity community will continue to rely on our tradition of collaboration and sharing best practices—and thankfully, on the efforts of the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the billions of dollars allocated to cybersecurity in Biden’s proposed 2025 bill. budget reflect the government’s commitment to keeping us safe.
As the industry upskills its workforce to address the cybersecurity skills gap and learn how to operate and protect its businesses and customers with AI, that same technology is the key to enabling today’s workers to do more. Rather than a set shift, cybersecurity and AI roles are linked in a continuum. The future is happening now.
