As 2025 swings into full force, the talent shortage continues to be prevalent across the security industry. Research by the World Economic Forum indicates that since 2024, the cyber skills gap has increased by eight percent, with two out of three organizations reporting moderate-to-critical skills gaps, including a lack of essential talent and skills to meet their security requirements.

While there have been consistent efforts to address this gap, more must be done to address the roadblocks faced in attracting and obtaining new talent. These include a lack of education pathways, outdated recruitment techniques, and the need for more streamlined public-private partnerships to support these efforts across the industry. To better address these challenges, there are a few key aspects organizations should consider.

Understanding the impact of AI on talent development

The demand for additional cyber talent has accelerated as many businesses are struggling to keep pace with escalating cyber threats while lacking the people in the field equipped to deal with them. This is most evident with the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), which presents both challenges and opportunities for the cybersecurity field.

AI has become a central part of the growth strategy for many businesses. That said, adversaries also use this technology to carry out attacks, creating an inherent risk. In fact, the Boston Consulting Group reveals that close to six out of ten (58%) cybersecurity leaders expressed concern over new adversarial techniques, including AI-enabled cyberattacks.

There are also concerns involved with the internal use of AI, like the unintentional sharing of sensitive information that could compromise data privacy. For example, precautions must be taken to avoid personnel names and job roles being inadvertently shared with AI tools.

Adding further nuance to the challenge, many organizations lack a thoughtful approach when it comes to aligning their AI investments with specific needs and making sure their employees are trained to use AI effectively. They tend to jump on the bandwagon before first defining how it will be used and its potential impact on learning and development for current and future employees. This can increase the chance of employees mishandling AI and compromising data privacy.

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