Safe AI adoption rests on cybersecurity professionals, says RSAC chairman

Cybersecurity professionals are in the vanguard of driving safe, responsible AI adoption, according to RSAC executive chairman Hugh Thompson.

Speaking during the opening keynote of RSAC Conference 2026 in San Francisco, Thompson said security professionals have never been more important amidst a period of growing cyber risks and rapid technological change.

“There’s a certain dynamism that exists right now in cybersecurity,” he said. “AI is rapidly changing everything around us. It’s changing everything, it’s forcing us to rethink how we [keep information safe].”

AI tools are helping security practitioners respond to threats more efficiently than ever, Thompson noted, unlocking significant productivity gains.

Yet while the benefits of the technology are becoming clearer in cyber, malicious actors are also flocking to these tools. Indeed, Thompson said the increased use of AI among bad actors is forcing enterprises to “reimagine” how these tools can be used for nefarious purposes.

The duality of AI has been a recurring talking point over the last two years. The technology is delivering benefits for organizations and individual workers, yet a host of studies over the last year have highlighted the growing use of AI among malicious actors.

Recent analysis from Kaseya, for example, showed 2025 was an “inflection point” for AI and cybersecurity, with traditional tactics such as phishing now supercharged by the use of the technology.

Around 83% of phishing emails use AI content in some way, the study found, with 40% of business email compromise (BEC) techniques now using generative AI.

This is where the cybersecurity function will be a critical factor in ensuring safe adoption of the technology en-masse globally. Moreover, cyber professionals have an opportunity to take the lead in facilitating this mass shift.

“We cannot be passive observers on this AI journey,” Thompson told attendees. “AI and cybersecurity are so deeply intertwined, we can’t let AI be something that happens to us. Instead, it’s our responsibility as cybersecurity professionals to make AI work for us.”

AI needs cyber pros

Thompson noted that AI “cannot operate sustainably” without robust security safeguards and practitioners offering a guiding hand for IT leaders.

With that in mind, fostering a more synergetic relationship between this domain and other business functions will be crucial – and RSAC Conference represents an environment for professionals to engage on the topic.

“I would argue AI just made our jobs way bigger in cybersecurity,” he said. “Conversations that will happen this week, in the sessions, in the halls, will help shape the future of AI for years to come.”

The power of community was a another key talking point throughout Thompson’s opening keynote, which saw him joined on stage by newly-appointed RSAC chief executive, Jen Easterly.

Easterly said the strength of the global cybersecurity community will stand organisations in good stead during a period of technological change in which malicious actors are becoming increasingly aggressive.

“This is our community, and we should draw strength from that, because together, we are stronger than any threat,” she said.

“Together, we're building trust in a world that desperately needs trust, a world increasingly powered by the most consequential technology of our lifetime, moving faster and faster than ever.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Follow ITPro on Google News and add us as a preferred source to keep tabs on all our latest news, analysis, views, and reviews.

You can also follow ITPro on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and BlueSky.