AI in cybersecurity: friend or foe

Artificial intelligence has become a key tool in the world of cybersecurity. It helps analyse huge amounts of data, identify threats and prevent attacks.

But the same technologies can also be used by attackers to automate attacks and bypass defences. We explore how AI affects digital security on both sides, what norms shape its development, and what to expect from this technology in the near future.

Artificial intelligence is an important part of global technology trends today. For some, it is a symbol of progress and the key to solving many problems, while for others, it is a source of new risks and threats. As is often the case, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

This technology has become a powerful tool for both cyber defence and cyber attacks. Today, we’re looking at how AI is changing the balance of power in the digital space and what to expect from its development in the future.

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What is artificial intelligence

In modern discourse, artificial intelligence is often understood to mean neural networks or large language models. In reality, these are only individual tools of so-called weak AI — a complex mechanism that imitates intelligence and is capable of solving many tasks, but does not have a real understanding of what is happening.

When using the term ‘artificial intelligence’ in the context of cybersecurity, we will refer to algorithms that use machine learning, deep neural networks, and natural language processing to analyse user behaviour, network traffic, event logs, and other sources.

Let’s take a closer look at these tools:

Machine learning (ML) — allows algorithms to ‘learn’ from experience, rather than just from a pre-programmed set of rules

Deep learning and neural networks (DNN) — enables large amounts of data to be processed simultaneously on multiple levels

Large Language Models (LLM) — used to analyse text (e.g., logs or incident descriptions), create automatic reports, generate code for tests, and even simulate attacks.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) — helps systems analyse messages, files, and documents to detect phishing or other threats.

How AI is used to protect against cyber threats

Artificial intelligence is becoming an important tool in the cybersecurity arsenal, as we discussed in the article ‘All About Cybersecurity: Strategies and Methods.’ It automates routine processes and significantly increases the speed and accuracy of incident response.

In practice, AI tools are integrated into SIEM (Security Information and Event Management), SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation and Response), NDR (Network Detection and Response) and other solutions. Such systems automatically collect, process, and interpret security events, helping to find incidents faster and take action before damage is done.

For example, modern monitoring platforms use machine learning to create behavioural profiles of users and devices. If activity goes beyond the norm, the system automatically sends a signal or blocks the suspicious connection.

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