The Domains And Organizational Functions Of AI Security
Cisco, Wednesday, February 4th, 2026
When your CISO mentions 'AI security' in the next board meeting, what exactly do they mean? Are they talking about protecting your AI systems from attacks? Using AI to catch hackers? Preventing employees from leaking data to an unapproved AI service? Ensuring your AI doesn't produce harmful outputs?
The answer might be 'all of the above'; and that's precisely the problem.
AI became deeply embedded in enterprise operations. As a result, the intersection of 'AI' and 'security' has become increasingly complex and confusing. The same terms are used to describe fundamentally different domains with distinct objectives, leading to miscommunication that can derail security strategies, misallocate resources, and leave critical gaps in protection. We need a shared understanding and shared language.