How AI Is Changing the Breadth of Cybersecurity Roles
InformationWeek, Friday, June 12th, 2026
AI accelerates attacks while creating new defensive roles that push security teams toward proactive operations.
AI is reshaping cybersecurity by increasing the speed, scale, and accessibility of attacks while creating new defensive roles. IBM research notes that a convincing phishing email can be generated in under five minutes with GenAI, compared to 16 hours manually.
To counter this, enterprises must transform security operations centers through automation and automation oversight, while developing specialized roles such as AI supervisors, prompt engineers, and AI policy stewards.
These positions demand expertise beyond traditional cybersecurity, requiring deep understanding of AI behavior and human-machine collaboration. Organizations that embrace this structural shift will move from reactive defense to proactive threat hunting and adaptive risk management.