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Close the AI security talent gap by defining the work your business needs done, assessing the people and processes already in place, and combining targeted hiring with internal development and retention. You do not necessarily need a new “AI security” job title: first identify which AI systems and decisions must be protected, then map the tasks and skills required to manage their risks.
What the AI security talent gap means for a business
“AI security” involves two related but distinct needs: securing AI systems against cyberattacks, and addressing cyber threats that arise from the use of AI, including malicious use. A business may need both capabilities, but the work will vary with its systems, exposure, and existing cybersecurity responsibilities.
The workforce challenge sits within a broader cybersecurity shortage. The World Economic Forum’s 2024 Strategic Cybersecurity Talent Framework estimated a worldwide shortage of nearly 4 million cybersecurity professionals; that is a broad cybersecurity estimate, not a count of AI security specialists. World Economic Forum, Strategic Cybersecurity Talent Framework
The World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Cybersecurity Outlook reported that the cyber skills gap had widened 8% from 2024 to 2025. In its survey, two-thirds of organizations reported moderate-to-critical skills gaps, while 14% said they were confident they had the people and skills needed. These are report findings, not universal counts or AI-security-specific measures. World Economic Forum, Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025 executive summary
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That report also found that 66% of organizations expected AI to have the most significant impact on cybersecurity in the coming year, while 37% said they had processes to assess the security of AI tools before deployment. Those survey results help explain why AI capability matters, but they do not establish how many specialists a particular business should hire.
What skills and work should you plan for?
Plan around tasks, not a fashionable title. NIST’s NICE Framework offers a shared vocabulary for cybersecurity work roles, tasks, knowledge, and skills. Its roles describe types of work; they are not necessarily job titles used by employers. NIST’s Special Publication 800-181 Rev. 1 was published in November 2020 and directs readers to current component resources, so consult those resources when mapping present-day work. NIST SP 800-181 Rev. 1: NICE Framework
Begin with the AI systems and business decisions your organization uses or depends on. For each one, determine what needs protection, who owns the risk, and what a failure would mean. This is a practical planning approach, not a universal inventory mandated by NIST.
- Securing AI: identify the people and skills needed to protect AI systems against cyberattacks.
- Managing AI-related threats: identify the people and skills needed to assess threats involving AI, including its malicious use.
- Supporting deployment decisions: determine who can review AI tools and deployments for security concerns and who is accountable for acting on findings.
NIST’s Karen Wetzel described the two-sided need this way: “The cybersecurity workforce will need to be prepared to secure AI against cyberattacks and to mitigate potential cyberthreats presented by AI, including where it is used with malicious intent.” NIST, “The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Cybersecurity Workforce,” June 12, 2025
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That NIST article discussed an AI Security Competency Area that was available for public comment at the time of publication. Do not treat that historical status as proof of current adoption; check the current NICE components before relying on it.
How to assess your current capability
- List the prioritized work. Connect the AI systems and business decisions you identified to the security tasks that need an owner.
- Map tasks to capabilities. Use NICE work-role, task, knowledge, and skill concepts to describe what each task requires. Avoid assuming that a job title alone demonstrates a capability.
- Assess staff and processes. Identify who can perform each task, how their capability is assessed, and whether the organization’s current processes let them do the work.
- Separate headcount from access or development gaps. A task may be uncovered because there are too few people, because existing staff need development, or because the organization lacks a process or access to the right expertise.
NIST’s Workforce Management resource curates employer material on job descriptions, performance-based assessment, hiring, upskilling, and retention. Use it to support a practical assessment rather than treating a résumé or job title as the only evidence of capability. NIST NICE Workforce Management
Should you hire, train, or use outside support?
Most organizations should decide task by task. The World Economic Forum’s 2024 framework treats attraction, education and training, recruitment, and retention as complementary parts of cybersecurity workforce development, rather than presenting hiring as the sole answer. The right mix depends on urgency, the specificity of the work, and whether the capability needs to remain inside the business.
| Approach | When it can fit | What to weigh |
|---|---|---|
| Hire | A priority task needs dedicated expertise or internal ownership. | Time to find a suitable candidate, fit with your systems and tasks, ability to assess demonstrated skills, ongoing cost, and retention or continuity risk. |
| Develop existing staff | Current employees have relevant foundations and can take on additional work with training and practice. | Time to usable capability, fit to your environment, time staff can devote to development, and whether knowledge stays available in-house. |
| Use outside training or services | You need targeted instruction or temporary access to expertise that is not available internally. | How well support matches your actual tasks, ongoing availability and cost, what knowledge is retained internally, and how you will assess the work or transfer learning. |
These are decision factors, not a measured ranking. The cited workforce reports do not establish a universally best option or a quantified return on investment. For each priority task, decide whether you need an employee to own it, a current employee to build the skill, or external help to bridge a temporary or specialized need.
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How to build and retain AI security capability
Make workforce development part of the operating plan. The World Economic Forum’s framework groups action around attracting, educating and training, recruiting, and retaining cybersecurity talent. NIST’s Workforce Management page provides employer resources spanning job descriptions, assessment, hiring, upskilling, and retention. World Economic Forum framework · NIST workforce-management resources
- Attract: describe the actual work and growth opportunities clearly so candidates can judge the role.
- Educate and train: connect learning to the tasks and systems your organization has prioritized, then assess whether people can apply the capability.
- Recruit: evaluate candidates against the work they will perform rather than relying on an “AI security” label or credentials alone.
- Retain: make ownership, development, and continuity part of workforce planning so expertise does not depend on one person without a backup.
For context, CISA’s NICCS summary of the 2023 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study identified areas including cloud security, AI/ML, and Zero Trust among reported skills-gap areas. This reflects that 2023 study, not a current headcount or a present-day measure of AI security vacancies. CISA NICCS, key findings from the 2023 ISC2 study
How to tell whether the gap is closing
Track measures tied to the work your business prioritized; the cited reports do not prescribe universal metrics. Useful organization-specific measures can include:
- Whether each priority task has an accountable owner and appropriate coverage.
- Time taken to assess and address security findings relevant to AI systems or deployments.
- Whether the people responsible can complete a review of an AI deployment using your organization’s process.
- Whether critical work depends on a single person or has adequate continuity.
Set a baseline before changing hiring or training plans, then review whether the chosen mix improves coverage and execution. A growing team alone does not show that the organization can perform the required work.
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