As AI adoption accelerates across industries, cybersecurity teams are being forced to rethink their approach to security. New research from IANS suggests that instead of replacing people with machines, CISOs are looking to AI as a way to augment and support their existing teams. The study found that most CISOs aren’t planning to downsize their teams in response to AI; rather, they’re seeking to automate routine tasks, reskill employees, and free up experienced professionals to focus on complex problems.
This shift is driven by the growing recognition among business executives of the importance of AI in driving forward innovation. As a result, CISOs are feeling pressure to get on board with AI initiatives, not just as a way to keep pace with their organizations’ ambitions, but also to secure funding for new tools and staffing. However, this momentum comes at a cost: vendors adding AI capabilities to their products is putting upward pressure on already tight security budgets.
IANS’ senior director for CISO research, Nick Kakolowski, spoke with Dark Reading associate editor Kristina Beek about the changing landscape of cybersecurity teams and the impact of AI on security spending. According to Kakolowski, one of the key findings from their research is that organizations are struggling to find a balance between adopting AI and maintaining existing security capabilities. “The industry is still very all over the place in terms of use of AI, maturity around AI,” he said. “But what’s fairly unified is that business executives are moving way more aggressively than they have with any other technology… And as a result, we’re seeing early signs of fairly significant changes in how orgs are thinking about staffing, organizing teams, and what maturity really looks like.”
One of the most notable trends emerging from the research is the shift towards “AI-first” security spending. CISOs are no longer just asking for funding to implement new AI-powered tools; they’re also seeking to reorganize their teams around AI capabilities. This means reskilling existing staff, identifying areas where AI can be used to augment human expertise, and freeing up experienced professionals to focus on high-level strategic decision-making.
While the benefits of AI in cybersecurity are clear – from improved threat detection to enhanced incident response – there’s also a darker side to this trend. As vendors cash in on the demand for AI-powered security tools, prices are rising, putting pressure on already tight security budgets. This is forcing CISOs to make tough choices about where to allocate their resources.
So what can cybersecurity professionals learn from these findings? The key takeaway is that AI is no longer just a tool – it’s a fundamental driver of change in the way we approach security. As Kakolowski noted, “CISOs are often able to explore solving problems they otherwise wouldn’t have bandwidth for.” By embracing this shift and working with their organizations to integrate AI into existing security strategies, CISOs can unlock new efficiencies and capabilities that will help them stay ahead of emerging threats.
Ultimately, the future of cybersecurity is being written in code – literally. As AI continues to transform the way we approach security, it’s up to CISOs to lead the charge and ensure that their organizations are prepared for what’s next.
Source: Dark Reading — 2026-10-06