Page 13 - Cybersecurity Career Guide, 4th Edition

edge and skills in AI is now a clear requirement. Cybersecurity skills, in general, are in demand, but AI skills in cybersecurity are really in demand — a 2022 study of some 54,000 cybersecu- rity job applicants found that only one percent had relevant AI skills. Such short- ages come at a time when spending in the workplace on AI-based cybersecurity solutions is expected to increase by more than 20 percent a year for the next five years, reaching some $60 billion by 2028.
You can get started now with the fol- lowing steps:
1. Read up on basic AI concepts, like
the difference between machine learning and deep learning, how neural networks function, and the importance of feeding the right kinds of data sets into the algo- rithms that drive AI operations.
2. Learn the right programing lan- guage. At least two-thirds of computer operating systems are written in C and C++, which are unsafe programming languages – Python, Java, Swift, and Rust build stronger and safer programs, so plan to include those in your studies.
3. Develop an understanding of the social and ethical dimensions that sur-
round the ways AI functions in our daily lives. Impacts can extend to loss of pri- vacy, inherent bias in AI systems, and threats to people’s livelihoods from the incursion of AI into their job functions.
For those who develop them, AI skills can turbocharge career prospects in cy- bersecurity. They can land you at the leading edge of a field that is crucial to protecting not only our online selves at home and at work but also national inter- ests like economic competitiveness and homeland security. There is nothing artifi- cial about the meaning, purpose, and re- wards that can accrue from making AI part of your study and career planning.
CYBERSECURITY CAREER GUIDE 13