ISC2 Released AI in Cyber 2024: Is the Cybersecurity Profession Ready?

The first ISC2 AI workshop will be hosted in Alexandria, VA, on March 12-13 for an operational session, followed by a strategic session on March 14-15.

ISC2, a nonprofit member organisation for cybersecurity professionals, announced findings from its latest study, AI in Cyber 2024: Is the Cybersecurity Profession Ready?, revealing the real-world impacts that artificial intelligence (AI) has had on cybersecurity. With responses from more than 1,100 cybersecurity professionals, 88% of respondents believe that AI will significantly impact their jobs, now or in the near future, and 35% have already witnessed its effects. While there is considerable positivity about the role of AI in dealing with cyberattacks, these findings also recognize the urgent demand from professionals for industry preparedness to mitigate cyber risks and safeguard the entire ecosystem.

Key Findings From the Report:

The cyber profession is still evaluating the full implications of AI technologies, yet

  • 82% of respondents expressed optimism that AI will improve job efficiency
  • 56% said that AI will make some activities within their job unnecessary, freeing up time for higher-value tasks
  • 75% of respondents are moderately to extremely concerned that AI will be used for cyberattacks or other malicious activities
  • Deepfakes, misinformation and social engineering are the top three concerns for cyber professionals

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There is a growing disparity between AI expertise and the level of preparedness to navigate these concerns.

  • 60% feel confident in their ability to lead their organisation’s secure adoption of AI
  • 41% of participants have minimal or no expertise in securing AI and machine learning (ML) technology
  • 82% feel there is a need for comprehensive and specific regulations governing AI’s safe and ethical use.
  • Despite the concerns, only 27% of participants said their organisation has formal policies in place on the safe and ethical use of AI, with 39% stating their organisation is currently discussing a formal policy. When asked ‘who should regulate AI’s safe and ethical use,’ the study revealed that cyber professionals are hoping for global coordination between national governments and a consortium of AI experts. 

Collaborating for Secure AI Adoption

“Cybersecurity professionals anticipate both the opportunities and challenges AI presents and are concerned their organisations lack the expertise and awareness to introduce AI into their operations securely,” said ISC2 CEO Clar Rosso, CC. “This creates a tremendous opportunity for cybersecurity professionals to lead, applying their expertise in secure technology and ensuring its safe and ethical use. In fact, ISC2 has developed AI workshops to foster the expert-led collaboration the cybersecurity workforce needs to address this challenge.”

The ISC2 AI Workshop series provides cybersecurity leaders with an in-depth and hands-on look at ways to protect both the use of AI and how AI uses our data through a practical risk management lens. Participants will also explore the implications of emerging and proposed AI regulations and how they will need to be factored into their secure AI adoption strategies. The first event will be hosted in Alexandria, VA, on March 12-13 for an operational session, followed by a strategic session on March 14-15.  Registration is now open, with more workshops scheduled throughout the U.S., U.K., Europe, Asia Pacific and the United Arab Emirates.

The AI in Cyber 2024: Is the Cybersecurity Profession Ready? study is based on online survey data collected in November and December 2023 from 1,123 global cybersecurity professionals.

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