Is the Cybersecurity Profession Ready? for artificial intelligence (AI) that is, asks the US-based cybersecurity membership group ISC2. With responses from more than 1,100 cybersecurity people, most, 88 per cent of respondents in a survey believe that AI will significantly impact their jobs, now or in the near future, and 35pc have already witnessed its effects. While there is considerable positivity about the role of AI in dealing with cyberattacks, these findings also recognise the urgent demand from professionals for industry preparedness to mitigate cyber risks, the group suggests.
Among the findings:
– most, 82pc of respondents expressed optimism that AI will improve job efficiency;
– a majority, 56pc said that AI will make some activities within their job unnecessary, freeing up time for higher-value tasks; and
– 75pc 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; and they see a growing disparity between AI expertise and the level of preparedness to navigate these concerns. Most, 60pc feel confident in their ability to lead on secure adoption of AI; while 41pc of those taking part in the survey say that they have minimal or no expertise in securing AI and machine learning (ML) technology. Most, 82pc feel there is a need for comprehensive and specific regulations governing AI’s safe and ethical use.
Despite the concerns, only 27pc of participants said their organisation has formal policies in place on the safe and ethical use of AI, with 39pc stating their organisation is 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.
ISC2 CEO Clar Rosso said: “Cybersecurity professionals anticipate both the opportunities and challenges AI presents, and are concerned their organizations lack the expertise and awareness to introduce AI into their operations securely. 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.”
Visit: https://www.isc2.org/Insights/2024/02/The-Real-World-Impact-of-AI-on-Cybersecurity-Professionals.
