AI can speed up threat detection and plays a key role in mitigating risks, but cannot protect a company or institution on its own. This is why cybersecurity experts remain indispensable – without their judgement, experience, strategic thinking and understanding of the organisation’s context, security cannot be ensured. The sector is also being hit by burnout syndrome, which further exacerbates the shortage of specialists. “The goal is not to replace experts, but rather to put smarter tools in their hands and free up space for work that truly makes sense,” says our security expert Petr Kocmich.
More than four in five security specialists worldwide admit that they have experienced burnout or overload in the past year. This is shown by this year’s Addressing Cybersecurity Burnout in 2025 report by Sophos, which warns of a shortage of cybersecurity experts threatening organisations’ ability to defend themselves against attacks. This is happening at a time when artificial intelligence is becoming a standard part of their infrastructure.
According to Petr Kocmich, the current contradiction lies in the fact that while AI can make part of the work easier and automate certain tasks, it simultaneously creates new areas of risk that need to be addressed. There is also a growing misconception that tools will almost completely replace human work. “AI does not mean the end of jobs for cybersecurity experts – quite the opposite. Companies need employees who understand not only technology, but also how to deploy it securely and ethically. Every new model, every API or automated process is a potential attack target or security gap. And artificial intelligence cannot defend itself,” he says.
Just a few years ago, the IT sector was facing a major shortage of programmers and IT specialists. Generative AI can write code, test it and debug it, gradually automating part of the work carried out in these roles. In the case of cybersecurity experts, however, the situation is different: demand for them continues to grow steadily.
“Security is an area where the human role cannot be replaced. AI can analyse logs, identify patterns and flag anomalies, but the final decision on whether it is a real threat and how to resolve it effectively without impacting running systems and services remains with people. They are the brain of cyber defence,” explains Petr Kocmich.
The global 2024 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study shows that more than four million security specialists were missing worldwide last year – and the number will be even higher this year. Burnout and staff turnover also mean that even where experts are available, their performance is declining. Sophos further warns in its research that overworked teams make more mistakes and many ultimately consider leaving the industry altogether.
“Cybersecurity professionals carry enormous responsibility. They monitor a constant stream of alerts, think in context and work under pressure. And while most companies are trying to increase efficiency, people in security have long been operating at the very limit of what they can handle,” adds Kocmich.
Cybersecurity experts are the heart of digital defence. For their work to remain engaging, it must be meaningful, offer room for growth, team support, and tools that help them rather than replace them.
“That is why we focus on connecting modern technologies, well-functioning processes, qualified professionals and reliable technology partnerships. This approach helps security teams remain effective even in an era where artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing the rules of the game,” says Petr Kocmich.
The key to a sustainable approach is to use AI as an assistant, not as a replacement for people. Automation can speed up response times and help filter out routine tasks, but it must operate under expert supervision.
“We deploy tools that use artificial intelligence to evaluate incidents, but we never allow them to make decisions independently. The human factor remains decisive,” explains Petr Kocmich. The goal is to turn analysts into super-analysts – equipping them with smarter tools so they can focus on what really matters.
A similar trend can also be seen in international companies. Rather than cutting costs in security teams, they are working to increase their capacity and their ability to interpret model outputs, so that experts do not feel like ‘firefighting robots’ but like professionals who help companies grow securely.
According to Petr Kocmich, companies that want to manage the transition into the AI era securely need four things: qualified people, the right technologies, well-defined processes and reliable partners.
Many organisations lack both capacity and time, which is why engaging an external partner makes sense. Managed services, training and shared know-how can immediately reduce pressure on internal teams. In addition to operating the void SOC security monitoring centre and delivering comprehensive enterprise security, our company also offers consultancy on the correct deployment of generative AI, training and security risk management.
The emergence of AI does not signal the end of human cybersecurity experts, but rather a new beginning – with greater responsibility, complexity and strategic importance.
“Company security often rests on a small, overworked internal team. A security partner can ease this burden or take it over entirely, ensuring that processes are not only more secure but also more efficient,” concludes Petr Kocmich.
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