AI Degrees: The Latest in Upskilling for Cybersecurity Specialists?

Tertiary course providers are responding to this growing demand for AI training by releasing their own tailored course offerings. Today, you can find online artificial intelligence courses that focus on a variety of industries and AI applications, spanning from helping students build proficiency with AI in automation, to providing frameworks for AI governance in MBAs and other business management courses.

For cybersecurity specialists in particular, however, AI upskilling is best undertaken with cyber industry-specific training. This means understanding how hackers are using gen AI and how to develop and maintain security protocols that also use machine learning – just as examples.

Let’s have a closer look at exactly what AI degrees and qualifications entail, and what cybersecurity specialists in particular should look out for when engaging with AI upskilling opportunities.

What is an AI degree?

An AI degree is essentially any kind of undergraduate or postgraduate degree where students engage in the principles and applications of artificial intelligence across either a variety of disciplines or within focused professional contexts.

For cybersecurity specialists, AI degrees can include components covering AI-powered antivirus software development courses, foundations of AI governance for policy development, and AI automation for streamlining general administrative or other ICT workflows.

Benefits of AI qualifications for cybersecurity specialists

With AI capabilities revolutionising business practices across virtually all industries, proficiency with AI is becoming a highly sought after skill, so much so that employers are actively looking for these skills on resumes (both across mainstream channels and even on the darknet).

AI qualifications can provide different types of advantages depending on the roles you’re looking to take on. Generally, however, these are some of the key benefits of AI qualifications for professionals in cybersecurity.

Proficiency with AI automation

Working in information technology typically means spinning many different plates everyday. Alongside providing general ICT support services across departments within their wider organisation (for in-house cybersecurity specialists), professionals will also need to manage their own departmental deliverables, like security protocol development and updates, as well as conducting routine security audits that include components like vulnerability testing, incident response protocols, corrective action processes, and other compliance considerations.

If you’re juggling administrative tickets alongside ticking compliance boxes, using AI for administrative automation and record-keeping may actually help streamline your workflow sustainably. Cybersecurity specialists can create automated workflows that help them manage all the interrelating elements of their daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly task lists, covering both ad-hoc support requests and the meatier responsibilities that accompany maintaining enterprise-wide security protocols and systems.

Understanding AI in malware and threat detection

With more hackers utilising AI and machine learning technologies to roll out AI-powered malware, the demand for more sophisticated threat detection is also on the rise. And most industry analysts would assert that the best way to combat AI-powered malware is by utilising AI-powered antivirus solutions.

Machine learning algorithms have been able to detect patterns in security protocols like firewalls, helping to surpass encryptions and allowing easier access. These findings have empowered hacktivists around the world to develop their own AI-assisted ransomware. FunkSec is a great example here, with the community group being able to cause some pretty big disruptions even with minimal coding experience between its members.

The observations on how hackers and hacktivist groups are using machine learning have in turn inspired antivirus development companies and the cybersecurity developers that contribute to these product offerings. Using machine learning capabilities, antivirus developers are using these same AI codebreaking methods to create antivirus software that learns from its interactions with malware and ransomware.

Understanding AI in malware and threat detection isn’t just essential for antivirus developers, however. The influx of ML-powered malware means that cyber specialists can basically expect to come across these AI-powered threats over the course of their careers. Knowing how to identify and respond to these threats will naturally prove to be valuable in any professional roles you take on.

Securing AI and ML systems

Alongside being able to identify AI-powered malware, cybersecurity professionals also need to learn how to secure AI and ML-powered systems (i.e. any automated workflows in a business/organisation). Securing AI and ML systems is essential to the sustainable adoption of AI in business ops, and these core security responsibilities are naturally falling into the laps of cyber experts worldwide.

As a result, AI course providers are now including subjects and course components that deal directly with security methodologies for AI-powered systems, providing key insights into how cybersecurity specialists can safeguard business infrastructure like centralised business management software and interconnecting cloud solutions that utilise automation tools like Zapier, for instance.

Integrating AI governance into departmental policies

Finally, if the 2010s were all about ESG governance, we can confidently say that the 2020s are all about AI governance. As AI becomes increasingly integral to modern business operations across virtually all industries, more business leaders are investing in AI policy development for their enterprises. These policies aid in standardising and regulating AI use, ensuring reduced risks of misuse that may be potentially damaging to the business reputation or may even affect business compliance to industry accreditation or even ISO certification.

Because AI governance is now such a hot topic issue, most seasoned cyber practitioners have already been engaging with AI policy development. For younger professionals looking to enter the cyber sector, equipping yourself with a strong working knowledge of AI governance can help ensure you’re better positioned for future leadership roles within your department, as policy development skills are essential for business managers at all levels.

Should you add an AI qualification to your CV?

The answer here is yes – but with reason. If you know exactly what direction you want your cyber career to proceed in or you know what opportunities will be most enriching for you, then upskilling in AI with a focus on those career goals can help ensure you’re engaging with the right learning and training materials.

In all contexts, however, developing a strong understanding of AI as a cybersecurity specialist can help you not only be perceived as a stronger job candidate, but may also help you better qualify for specialised positions.

If you’re currently working in the sector and are able to pursue upskilling opportunities with support from your employer, you can easily find AI courses online that can be completed at your own pace, supporting full-time industry workers in upskilling sustainably. Be sure to consult with your employer or department supervisor to see whether the AI cyber courses that pique your interest may provide some benefits to your wider workplace or team too.