AI Trends in Cybersecurity May Present Job Insecurity in the Industry

The cybersecurity industry is trending upwards. More people are sharing sensitive data online, which entices criminals to find new ways to attack internet users.

Every industry faces change, but the change the cybersecurity industry is facing may threaten job security. 

What Change is Threatening Job Security?

First of all, it’s not just one change affecting the cybersecurity industry. A couple of trends are doing this.

Cybersecurity companies are trying to do their best for customers. Folks who shop, bank, or do whatever else they want to know the value of good cybersecurity, which is why they invest in some of the most popular cybersecurity companies out there like Bitdefender.

All one needs is a thorough review of Bitdefender to see how effective these companies are at what they do. This is all possible thanks to the people behind the scenes fighting off the threats, but things might change given enough time because of AI.

Criminals are starting to use AI to crack passwords faster and overcome protection shields like CAPTCHA. There’s a lot of money to be made online, so it makes sense that cybercriminals are willing to invest in machine learning technology. As these criminals get more efficient with AI’s help, cybersecurity companies need to step up their game to stay in control.

This is something they need to do to protect their customers and to stay competitive, which is the reason they’re using AI as well to combat some of these new attacks. The good thing is AI-based threats haven’t reached scary levels, so companies still have time to figure out how to use machine learning to protect online users, but the threat is starting to creep up.

The need for cybersecurity companies to use AI to intensify their efforts is clear. The problem is this might begin to affect cybersecurity experts, the folks behind the scenes. As these companies continue to rely on AI, these people’s job security starts to suffer.

For a long time, cybersecurity represented job security and in many respects it still does. It’s a well-paid profession, but people who are just entering the job force in this industry are starting to feel threatened by AI.

Is AI Really a Threat?

Sometimes, it’s hard to accept that AI is threatening jobs. If someone brings up this fear, others end up saying it’s irrational and dismiss it. Sceptics may say that technology looks scary, but it doesn’t take away jobs but rather creates new ones.

In a perfect world, that would be true, but AI is a horse of a different colour. Besides, technology has been able to make some jobs obsolete, like the job of the video store clerk. The introduction of streaming made that job obsolete, so fearing technology is not as irrational as some might say.

This doesn’t mean folks need to rise up against the machine or anything. Even if someone is fearful that technology might take away their job, they should be able to see why it’s happening. It might not be easy to admit, but advancements help society one way or another. Progress is unstoppable, and that’s just the truth.

The reason AI is different is that it’s attacking nearly every industry. Truckers, telemarketers, proofreaders, receptionists, computer support specialists, and the job of a cybersecurity expert can all be affected.

Some of these seem obvious, but other jobs may not be so obvious. AI, along with robots, may be able to operate on a human being more efficiently and replace some doctors.

Young cybersecurity experts still have a while before they have to worry about this, but the time they do have should be used to learn how they can support cybersecurity AI if they want to continue to be involved in this industry.

Being able to support AI or use it as a tool can help an employee become quite valuable. Online threats need to be analyzed by a human being. Potential threats should still be predicted by a human being. All of these necessities and more create room in this industry for folks who want to be in this industry. The jobs might shrink though, and that’s something people need to keep in mind.

Pondering Potential Solutions

Some jobs can be created after AI becomes more vital within the cybersecurity industry and beyond. This is a good thing, but it doesn’t address the jobs that will be lost.

Believe it or not, this is a problem many economists are trying to figure out now. Andrew Yang, Bernie Sanders, and other politicians in America have talked about this problem. These folks are trying to offer solutions that might help support the folks who are losing their jobs now and might begin to lose their jobs later on.

One solution that has been floated is universal income. In essence, people will receive a guaranteed paycheck, every person in the country. The check will pay for basic necessities, giving people a little more stability and the freedom to pursue other career opportunities without the pressure of dealing with bills.

Freedom breeds innovation, and that is important now for cybersecurity experts and other folks who might feel uneasy about their job security.

There’s no telling what tomorrow will bring and if tomorrow’s changes will create instability for folks, but it’s wise to at least know about the threats to the economy and what folks are trying to do about those threats.

Image by Omni Matryx from Pixabay