Artificial intelligence is not new to cybersecurity. The sector is one of A.I.’s earliest adopters. For years, defensive cybersecurity has relied on machine learning to identify anomalies, detect patterns and respond to threats with speed and precision beyond any human capability. What is new is the speed, scale and accessibility of A.I., and the way it is reshaping not just our defenses, but the very nature of cyber risk itself. On April 7, Anthropic sent shockwaves through industries when it announced that its latest model, Claude Mythos, was too powerful to release publicly because of its exceptional ability to identify and exploit software vulnerabilities. The company instead opted to provide controlled access to select businesses, including JPMorgan, Apple, Nvidia and Google, to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses. The move underscored a growing reality that the same systems designed to protect can just as easily be weaponized. The uncomfortable truth is that while A.I. is accelerating both offensive and defensive capabilities, threat actors are proving equally, if not more, innovative. Technology alone won’t bridge the capability gap. Instead, leadership, talent generation and training need to keep pace with this revolutionary shift in technology. The new offense: faster, smarter and more personal For decades, cyberattacks followed a familiar pattern. Phishing emails were often clumsy, riddled with grammatical errors and relatively easy to spot. Think the infamous “Nigerian prince” scams. That era is over. A.I. has fundamentally changed the precision and economics of cybercrime. It allows bad actors to operate with unprecedented speed and sophistication. Cyberattacks have always been, in part, a numbers game—like trying every door and window in a neighborhood until one is unlocked. A.I. simply allows attackers to try exponentially more doors at near light speed. It also acts as a force multiplier for low-skilled actors, simplifying the creation of malware