TikTokTech: At RSA Conference, AI Dominates the Security Conversation

The annual RSA Conference is one of the biggest events in the cybersecurity industry. Tens of thousands of security professionals, business leaders, academics and government leaders from around the world attended the show in San Franisco to discuss the latest trends and developments in security.

Unsurprisingly, AI dominated the show for the second year in a row. According to Deloitte, the AI cybersecurity market is expected to hit $102.78 billion by 2032. Based on the number of AI solutions and integrations announced at RSA, the sector is certainly growing quickly, spurred on by an increasingly complex cybersecurity landscape. According to Cisco data, more than half of organizations have experienced a cybersecurity incident in the past year and 73% believe they are likely to experience a security incident in the next two years. The security industry is betting big that AI will help them mitigate this risk and three AI trends stood out.

1. Leveraging AI for Enhanced Prevention and Advanced Security

At the show, many security companies released AI-powered solutions and capabilities designed to augment cybersecurity workers and traditional security measures. Some AI solutions can now detect software vulnerabilities before they are exploited, for example, or detect and respond to suspicious network activity before any data is compromised. These capabilities enable companies to respond to incidents and remediate vulnerabilities faster, mitigating cyber threats more efficiently.  

AI is unlocking a new level of proactive security. Companies can more easily predict and prevent threats, versus responding to attacks. In an evolving threat landscape, detection, response and patch time is critical to preventing a headline-generating data breach.

2. Securing AI Deployments in the Race for Adoption and Innovation

Companies are incorporating AI across their businesses and tools as we enter a new phase of digital transformation. Business leaders are in a hurry to deploy AI so they can find efficiencies, make employees more productive, get more value from their data and innovate faster. If they don’t implement AI effectively, they risk falling behind competitors.

There is also a risk to moving too quickly, however, as AI tools could introduce new security and data protection risks. Organizations need comprehensive data governance to avoid sensitive or protected data from being fed into AI models, which could violate data privacy laws or other industry regulations. Too lax use of third-party AI tools could also increase risk of a data breach. On the other hand, if companies place too stringent restrictions on their employees’ AI use, they could miss out on key insights and opportunities for innovation. Data and security teams have the challenge of keeping data secure while also enabling experimentation and fostering innovation within their organizations.

3. AI is Supercharging Security Threats

Security professionals aren’t the only ones using AI to their advantage. Cyber experts warn that AI will make threat actors more efficient and better at perpetrating attacks —– exacerbating the threats security professionals are already racing to outrun. Supercharged by AI, the industry will see more sophisticated phishing attacks that involve voice cloning, deepfakes that can be used for blackmail and a generation of cyber attackers that can use AI bots to help them execute better attacks.   

Amidst these evolving threats, the stakes have never been higher for companies. The average cost of a data breach increases every year and reputational damage of a breach can threaten brand credibility. Compounding these challenges, according to the World Economic Forum, the global cybersecurity talent shortage could reach 85 million workers by 2030. AI can help fill gaps and address the issue of burnout among short-staffed security teams. Industry leaders agree that AI will never replace human security workers, but it can help support them and enhance their capabilities.

AI-augmented solutions can’t come soon enough. As security professionals continue to integrate AI into solutions, we’ll be keeping an eye out for where this technology goes next.