Rethinking AI in cyber security

It’s easy to get swept up in the hype around AI in cyber security.

But if you're a senior IT leader, you've heard it all before: AI is the key to solving every cybersecurity problem.

Yet AI alone isn't the answer to all your cybersecurity challenges. If anything, it’s the ongoing work of your security team that will define the success or failure of your cyber defence strategy. AI isn’t here to replace them, it’s here to support them.

Here’s why we think AI isn’t the cure-all it’s pitched as, but as the critical tool that makes your team more effective and efficient in the fight against evolving threats.

1. AI isn’t a magic bullet; it’s a force multiplier

You’ve heard the hype: AI is supposed to "transform" your cybersecurity strategy. But AI isn’t going to solve all your problems overnight. It’s not some magic bullet that will take care of everything while you sit back and relax. AI is a tool that works best when it's integrated into your existing processes and teamed up with your cybersecurity professionals.

What’s key: Your team’s expertise and judgment are irreplaceable. AI amplifies what they’re already doing by automating tedious tasks, processing vast amounts of data in seconds, and identifying threats that might otherwise be overlooked. The real value of AI lies in its ability to enhance your team’s capabilities, not replace them.

How AI helps: AI can quickly sift through massive amounts of data and detect anomalies that may point to a breach. It’s fast, precise, and able to learn from past attacks to improve threat detection. This means your team spends less time digging through data and more time responding to actionable insights.

2. AI supports, but doesn’t replace, the human element

When we talk about AI, the focus is often on automation. But what gets lost in the noise is that human oversight remains essential. Your team’s ability to make judgment calls, respond to complex threats, and adapt to new situations is irreplaceable. AI isn’t a solution for eliminating human error, it’s a tool that helps your team make faster, better decisions.

What’s key: Your security experts need to stay in control. AI is an enabler, not a substitute for human intelligence. You can’t rely solely on AI to make decisions about how to respond to a breach or threat. It’s your team that decides the best course of action.

How AI helps: AI assists by providing actionable, real-time insights and alerts based on data analysis. It allows your security team to respond faster and more efficiently to actual threats rather than spend time filtering through false alarms or mundane tasks.

3. AI doesn’t fix everything; it identifies what needs fixing

AI is often sold as a "catch-all" solution, promising to solve every issue from phishing attacks to insider threats. But AI won’t fix outdated infrastructure, poor network hygiene, or a lack of security policies. What AI does is identify issues, vulnerabilities, and patterns that need your attention.

What’s key: AI isn’t going to fix poor security practices. It can highlight weaknesses and provide insight, but your team still needs to act on that information and implement the necessary fixes.

How AI helps: AI continuously scans your systems and analyses data to detect emerging threats.

By identifying vulnerabilities early, AI helps you prioritise what needs to be addressed first. Instead of guessing where the risks are, AI shows you where your defences are weakest.

4. AI requires continuous training, just like security teams

You know that cybersecurity threats aren’t static, and neither is the AI that defends against them. AI doesn’t come pre-packaged as a plug-and-play solution. It needs constant learning, refinement, and integration into your evolving security environment.

What’s key: AI needs training, fine-tuning, and real-world application to be effective. Just as your security team needs to keep up with new attack vectors, AI needs to be continuously updated with new threat data and adjusted to stay relevant.

How AI helps: AI tools that adapt and learn from new data can improve detection rates and reduce false positives. The more threat data they process, the more accurate they become at recognising patterns. AI’s value comes from its ability to evolve alongside your team’s knowledge.

5. AI won’t solve a ‘people’ problem

The cybersecurity skills gap isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. While AI can help augment your existing workforce, it can’t create more skilled professionals or fix your team’s talent shortage. AI is a tool, not a substitute for hiring more experts or building out your team’s capabilities.

What’s key: No amount of AI will make up for the lack of skilled cybersecurity professionals. What AI can do is give your existing team the edge it needs to stay ahead of attackers.

How AI helps: AI can automate time-consuming tasks like log analysis, threat detection, and incident response, freeing up your team to focus on higher-level security challenges. By augmenting your team’s capabilities, AI lets them focus on the strategic tasks that really matter.

Wrapping it up

AI is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and it’s certainly not a silver bullet for every cybersecurity challenge. It’s a powerful tool that can augment your existing strategy, helping your security team identify threats faster, make better decisions, and prioritise actions that reduce risk.

Rather than buying into the hype, focus on integrating AI into your security framework as a valuable support tool. AI won’t replace your team—it will help them do their job better, faster, and more efficiently. And that’s exactly how it should be.