With AI Reshaping Entry-Level Cyber, What Happens to the Security Talent Pipeline?

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Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared on DarkReading, written by Joan Goodchild

Artificial intelligence (AI) is doing exactly what security teams hoped it would do: eliminate the repetitive, low-value work that has long burned out junior analysts. But in solving this problem, it may be creating another one that could have a long-lasting impact.

Log review. Alert triage. Drift detection. Basic investigation. These tasks were how generations of defenders traditionally learned the cybersecurity trade — how they built intuition, pattern recognition, and the "muscle memory" that senior leaders rely on during times of crisis. Now that AI is absorbing the grind, some say organizations risk accelerating efficiency at the cost of developing foundational expertise.

The result is an emerging paradox. AI is elevating today's analysts, yet it may leave tomorrow's leaders without the hands-on experience they need. As Visa CISO Subra Kumaraswamy notes, even with AI doing the repetitive work, teams still have to learn about "the art and science of defense."

That raises the strategic question security leaders now face: If automation is taking over the grunt work, who trains the next generation of defenders? Continue on DarkReading

 
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