![\"Jill](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/jill-knesek-stylized-1600x900px.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\u201cWe\u2019re hiring selectively for AI and machine learning expertise, but we\u2019re also investing in our existing talent \u2014 training them to understand how AI works, how to validate models, and how to use these tools responsibly,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Feeling the pressure to work fast<\/p>\n
Knesek remains concerned about AI\u2019s unknowns, yet she says companies are pushing security teams to quickly build out new capabilities so they can say they have AI embedded in their products. Security and IT are \u201ckind of the transportation team to lay the roads and guardrails so things don\u2019t spin out of control,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re working at breakneck speed in some areas and the reality is, we don\u2019t know exactly what the threats are. So, we\u2019re trying to make sure that we\u2019ve got the strongest rules in place.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jill Knesek, CISO, BlackLine<\/p>\n
BlackLine<\/p>\n
Echoing Oleksak, Knesek says she feels strongly about utilizing traditional security and having the right controls in place. Getting foundational security right will get you a long way, she says.<\/p>\n
\u2018Then, as you learn about more sophisticated attacks \u2026 we\u2019ll have to pivot our tooling and capabilities to those risks.\u201d For now, \u201cthe most important thing for us is just to stay aligned with where the business is driving us very quickly [and] make sure today [security] is doing what it needs to do from a foundational standpoint,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Questioning the output<\/p>\n
As organizations rethink their approach to security, Oleksak advises CISOs to not get \u201cdazzled by the hype,\u201d and remember that AI is not a strategy but a tool. \u201cTreat it like any other technology investment,\u201d he says. \u201cStart with your risk priorities, then decide where AI can realistically help.\u201d<\/p>\n
That means remembering AI magnifies strengths and weaknesses. \u201cIf your asset inventory is incomplete, if your IAM controls are loose, or if your patching cadence is poor, AI will not fix those problems; it will accelerate the mess,\u201d Oleksak says.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also important to take a cautious approach to deployment. He advises piloting AI tools in narrow use cases \u2014 such as for alert triage, log analysis, and phishing detection \u2014 and measuring outcomes. \u201cFocus on augmenting human judgment, not replacing it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Security teams will also build trust through transparency. \u201cTrain your teams to question AI output and educate your executives and employees on both the benefits and risks,\u201d Oleksak says. \u201cThe CISO\u2019s job is not just to deploy AI tools, but to ensure the organization understands how they fit into the bigger security picture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Building coalitions<\/p>\n
AI should be used where it helps reduce risk, improve speed, or strengthen resilience, says DeFiore. \u201cBuild partnerships early \u2014 especially with legal, data, and operations teams,\u201d she says. \u201cInvest in education across the organization and stay grounded in ethics. AI decisions have real-world consequences, so organizations should use AI with care and consider potential accountability implications related to how it\u2019s used.\u201d<\/p>\n
While AI is a powerful tool, DeFiore says it\u2019s people who make it meaningful. \u201cAt United, safety is our foundation. AI helps us deliver on that promise with more precision and agility \u2014 but it\u2019s the human judgment behind it that drives trust, impact and long-term value,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
AI is not something to be feared, but its singular impact on security must be respected, says Oleksak.<\/p>\n
Lander emphasizes the need to recognize that AI isn\u2019t just a new tool but also \u201ca new domain that requires careful governance, thoughtful integration, strategic thinking, and continuous learning. By embedding security from day one, engaging cross-functional stakeholders, anticipating unique AI risks, and investing in people and adaptive frameworks, CISOs can guide their organizations to responsibly and confidently harness AI\u2019s potential.\u201d He recommends that CISOs should plan and prepare for the AI era by building coalitions, ensuring AI is not managed as a silo, but as a shared responsibility. \u201cThe next few years will require an open mind and a view that AI is like a new member of the team who makes everyone better,\u201d Lander says. \u201cThe CISO of the future is not just securing systems, they\u2019re securing AI-enabled business success.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cWe\u2019re hiring selectively for AI and machine learning expertise, but we\u2019re also investing in our existing talent \u2014…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":204576,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[182,181,507,74],"class_list":{"0":"post-204575","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-artificial-intelligence","8":"tag-ai","9":"tag-artificial-intelligence","10":"tag-artificialintelligence","11":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204575\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/204576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}