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Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping cybersecurity roles, workflows and decision-making while it adds to the importance of human judgment, validation and governance. That’s according to a report by the US-based IT and cyber membership body ISC2 (pronounced ISC-squared). It found two-thirds of those in a survey spent more time deciding when to trust or act on AI-generated recommendations (65pc) and reviewing or validating AI outputs (63pc) over the past year.
A survey of 856 cybersecurity professionals who use AI in their roles, suggests that while AI is improving efficiency and enabling more strategic work, it is also introducing new risks, increasing accountability pressures and accelerating changes to early-career pathways.ย ย While nearly half of cybersecurity people (48pc) report that AI has reduced workplace stress, almost one-third (32pc) say it has increased stress. Those experiencing higher stress are significantly more likely than those with decreased stress to spend more time deciding when to trust AI-generated recommendations (76 per cent versus 57pc) and reviewing or validating AI outputs (74 per cent versus 57pc). When AI-recommended actions lead to incorrect outcomes, half of the participantsย say their organizations hold human decision-makers ultimately accountable. Nearly nine out of ten (89pc) of respondents report having experienced AI recommendations that lead to incorrect outcomes.
According to the survey many in cybersecurity believe AI is changing early-career pathways. While 56pc of participants say AI has reduced the need for entry-level roles, 53pc believe AI is creating new entry-level opportunities and 48pc say AI makes them feel more optimistic about their long-term career prospects.
ISC2 CEO Scott Beale said:ย โAI is not replacing cybersecurity professionals; it is changing what the profession requires of them. As AI takes on more repetitive tasks, as well as performing some complex cybersecurity analysis at speed and scale, cybersecurity roles are shifting toward higher-value work, from asking the right questions to validating findings, interpreting outputs and applying human judgment. This evolution is not limited to entry-level roles. It changes how work is distributed across security teams, making continued investment in governance, validation practices, mentoring and skills development essential at every level.โ
ISC2 meanwhile is developing an AI security certification.
Findings include:ย
- AIโs impact on work-related stress is mixed. 48pc report lowered stress due to AI, while 32pc say stress has increased.
- AI raises significant concerns. Top concerns include over-reliance on AI (62pc), undetected errors scaling across systems (61pc) and reduced human judgment at critical decision points (56pc).
- AI is changing how cybersecurity professionals spend their time. Over the past year, nearly half (48pc) report spending less time on tasks that do not involve AI, signalling a shift toward AI-assisted workflows. Responses on hands-on work are split: 35pc report less time, 32pc more time and 33pc no change.
- Foundational cybersecurity skills remain essential. Most (62pc) do not believe that AI has reduced the need for foundational cybersecurity skills, compared to 26pc who say it has.
- Governance and trust frameworks are critical. Most say it is very important to establish when to trust AI outputs (82pc), knowing when toย ย override decisions (80pc) and having clear governance frameworks in place (80pc).
You can read the Rethinking AI’s Impact on Cybersecurity Roles reportย here.
