iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
AI is changing cybersecurity work, but current evidence does not show how many jobs it has created or eliminated. Organizations report persistent skills gaps and new needs around AI security, while professionals anticipate that AI tools could change entry-level hiring. The clearest conclusion is that skills and job design are shifting; the net effect on cybersecurity headcount remains unknown.
Why AI can widen and close the cybersecurity talent gap at the same time
The apparent contradiction comes from treating “the talent gap” as one measurement. It can mean organizations lack people, teams lack particular capabilities, or employers cannot find candidates with the right mix of skills. AI can affect those pressures in different directions.
- It can increase demand for skills. As organizations use AI, they need people who can assess AI-related risks and secure systems that incorporate the technology. Cloud security and AI also rank among the technical skills professionals identify as in demand.
- It can change how teams use existing staff. AI tools may help with data-heavy operational work, potentially changing how much time or staffing some tasks require. That does not establish that a whole role can be automated or that total staffing will fall.
- It can leave vacancies unresolved even as work changes. A team can have enough people by one measure and still lack the skills needed for new responsibilities. Conversely, a skills shortage does not automatically mean there are unfilled jobs for every person who wants to enter the field.
These effects can coexist. The surveys and projections available measure different things, so they do not add up to a reliable count of jobs AI has net added or displaced.
What the latest workforce evidence measures
The figures below should not be read as if they came from one census. The World Economic Forum reports organization-level survey responses; ISC2 reports workforce-study findings and professional expectations; the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in a specific occupation.
| Source and measure | Finding | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| World Economic Forum, Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025: organizations’ reported skills needs | The cyber skills gap increased 8% from 2024. Two-thirds of organizations reported moderate-to-critical gaps; 14% were confident they had the people and skills they needed. | Organizations continue to report capability pressures. These survey results are not a count of vacant jobs or a global workforce shortfall estimate. |
| World Economic Forum, Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025: AI’s expected impact and assessment practices | 66% of organizations expected AI to have the most significant impact on cybersecurity in the coming year; 37% said they had processes to assess AI tools before deployment. | Expected impact and readiness are separate measures. The figures indicate that anticipated change was not matched by equally widespread assessment processes. |
| ISC2, 2025 workforce study: hiring managers’ desired skills | Problem solving 29%; collaboration 24%; communication 22%; willingness to learn 20%; strategic thinking 16%. | Employers value interpersonal, analytical, and adaptable capabilities alongside technical expertise. |
| ISC2, 2025 AI pulse survey: expectations from 436 cybersecurity professionals | 52% expected AI security tools to reduce entry-level staffing needs to some extent; 31% saw potential for new types of entry- or junior-level roles. | These are professionals’ expectations, not observed hiring totals or a longitudinal measure of employment. |
| U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2026 page: information security analysts | Projected U.S. employment growth of 21% from 2025 to 2035, with about 14,100 openings per year on average. | This is a U.S. outlook for the broader occupation, not an AI-specific forecast or a global estimate. |
Why a skills gap is not the same as a headcount shortage
ISC2’s 2025 workforce study emphasized specific skills and staffing measures and did not publish a workforce-gap estimate. Its 2024 study had used a workforce-gap figure, but carrying an older total forward as if it were a current measurement would obscure that change in method and emphasis.
That distinction matters when interpreting claims that AI is “widening” or “closing” the gap. The World Economic Forum’s reported increase is a change in its cyber skills-gap measure; it does not by itself show that AI caused the change. Likewise, a team’s growing need for AI-security expertise does not prove it needs more employees overall. The evidence supports changing capability needs, not a definitive AI-driven change in net workforce size.
Is AI taking cybersecurity jobs, especially entry-level roles?
There is no established answer in the available hiring evidence. The ISC2 pulse survey captures a real concern: more respondents expected AI security tools to reduce entry-level staffing needs than expected new junior roles to emerge. But those perceptions do not reveal what employers actually hired, how roles changed over time, or whether reductions in one task or team were offset elsewhere.
AI may affect tasks before it determines the fate of a job. Cybersecurity analysts monitor networks, assess vulnerabilities, report findings, help set standards, and advise management. Some data-heavy or repetitive steps may be candidates for assistance from AI tools; interpreting results, deciding what risk matters, communicating trade-offs, and responding to incidents still involve context and judgment. The available evidence does not quantify how much of any analyst’s work can be automated.
Rank #3
For people starting out, this uncertainty argues for building skills that transfer across tasks rather than assuming either that traditional entry-level work will remain unchanged or that it will disappear. Employers’ stated interest in problem solving, collaboration, communication, learning, and strategic thinking points to capabilities that help people validate tool output and act on it responsibly.
What skills matter as cybersecurity work changes
AI and cloud security are among the technical capabilities professionals identify as in demand, but technical knowledge is only part of the hiring picture. A useful skill set combines security fundamentals with the ability to investigate, explain, and adapt.
- Security fundamentals: Learn how to monitor systems, assess vulnerabilities, interpret alerts, and document findings. These core activities provide context for evaluating what an AI-assisted tool reports.
- AI and cloud security: Build familiarity with risks and controls in these areas as employers’ needs evolve. The cited surveys identify them as areas of demand, but do not prescribe one universal tool or certification.
- Problem solving and communication: Practice moving from an alert or vulnerability to a reasoned assessment, then explaining its significance to technical and nontechnical colleagues.
- Collaboration, learning, and strategic thinking: Security decisions often cross team boundaries. The ability to learn unfamiliar systems and connect technical findings to organizational priorities can make a candidate more useful as job requirements shift.
- Judgment and governance: AI adoption itself creates work around assessing tools and their risks. The gap between organizations expecting a major impact and those reporting assessment processes makes this an important area to understand.
The practical goal is not to compete with AI at routine data processing. It is to use tools carefully while developing the judgment to verify findings, prioritize risk, and communicate what should happen next.
Recommended Free Tools
Is cybersecurity still a good career choice?
For someone considering the field in the United States, the BLS outlook for information security analysts is positive: it projects growth in the broader occupation through 2035. That is a useful signal of expected demand, but it does not guarantee a job for an individual, predict the effect of AI on a particular specialty, or apply to every country.
Best Value
There is more than one route into cybersecurity. BLS describes a common path involving a bachelor’s degree and related work experience, while also noting that some workers enter with relevant training and industry certifications; employers may prefer certification. The best route depends on the roles available locally, the candidate’s prior experience, and the requirements employers specify.
Prospective candidates should look beyond job-title forecasts and check actual postings in their region. Compare required experience, core security tasks, and requested technical skills. For an early-career applicant, practical evidence of investigation, clear writing, and collaboration can help demonstrate capability even as the mix of tools changes.
How to read claims about AI and cybersecurity employment
When a headline says AI is eliminating or creating cybersecurity jobs, check what was measured before accepting the conclusion:
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
- Is it a skills measure, a vacancy count, or employment data? A perceived skills gap is not interchangeable with the number of people employed or positions open.
- Is the result an expectation or an observed outcome? A survey about what professionals anticipate does not prove what companies subsequently did.
- Who was surveyed, and where? Organization-level global findings, professional responses, and U.S. occupational projections describe different populations.
- Does the figure isolate AI’s effect? A broad occupation forecast or a change in reported skills needs cannot be attributed to AI unless the measure establishes that connection.
These checks help separate the real story—changing skills, processes, and expectations—from a stronger claim about net job losses or gains that the current evidence cannot support.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
