Your job in security is already changing. The question is whether you've noticed it yet.

Tasks that used to take hours are now executed automatically.

Detection and response are increasingly handled by systems that can act without direct human input.

And in some cases, decisions are made faster than you can realistically validate them.

Which creates a new kind of tension.

You are no longer valued primarily for executing processes.

You are increasingly responsible for outcomes you did not fully produce yourself.

At the same time, the environment you operate in is shifting.

AI-driven attacks require automated and cognitively enhanced responses.

And the tools you rely on are becoming more autonomous, more complex, and harder to fully understand.

So the question is no longer just how to defend systems.

It is:

• what remains your responsibility
• how you manage tools you don't fully control
• and where your real value sits when execution is no longer the bottleneck

We discussed these questions with Lukas Hatala.

AI is not just automation. It is a new type of colleague.

1. How is AI changing the nature of cybersecurity work today, beyond simple automation?

Where do you already see responsibilities shifting?

AI is basically a new employee. It is a highly unpredictable working buddy. We mostly need to educate the human workforce to utilize these technology assets properly, at an optimal level of cooperation.

2. Which parts of security roles are most likely to be automated or augmented first?

And which areas do you believe will remain fundamentally human?

Basically everything that is based on well-documented processes and reporting is set to be automated by AI gradually.

3. How does increasing autonomy in security tooling affect risk and attack surface?

Are we reducing risk, or creating new categories of it?

It is basically the new normal for the cybersecurity toolset. You have to innovate in order to keep up with attack innovation. Automated attacks require an automated response; cognitively powered attacks require a cognitively powered response. Tools are just one part of the story, the second is experience and the unique security IP of how to leverage these tools properly and efficiently.

4. What skills will become significantly more valuable for security professionals in the next 3-5 years?

What should people start learning now?

Ethics, critical thinking, and psychology will be the source of new patterns and principles for how to utilize the emerging toolset efficiently. But one way or another, this is just a crystal ball question.

5. How should organizations rethink team structures and hiring if AI takes over parts of operational security work?

There is a need to rethink the economic risk model of company operations, then the relevance of products, and after all of that an appropriate HR strategy can be established. There is no general answer, but in my humble opinion the current trends will not be sustained.

6. If you had to give one piece of advice to security professionals who want to stay relevant in an AI-driven future, what would it be?

Have a look into nature for inspiration on how healthy ecosystems defend themselves.