ISC2 Members and the wider cybersecurity professional community are invited to volunteer, playing a key role in shaping and establishing a global professional development standard for artificial intelligence (AI) security.
Organizations are rapidly adopting AI across all aspects of their operations, with cybersecurity professionals increasingly responsible for securing AI-enabled systems as well as using AI as part of their cybersecurity toolset.
When ISC2 looked at the adoption and impact of AI tools on cybersecurity professionals, almost a third (30%) of respondents said that their teams had already integrated AI security tools (e.g., AI-enabled security solutions, generative AI and/or agentic AI for automated action, etc.) into their operations. In addition to this, 42% said that at the time of the study, they were testing or actively exploring AI tools to better defend critical assets. Further analysis has shown that professionals with both cybersecurity and AI expertise remain relatively uncommon, creating talent shortages.
This rapid adoption is taking place without the cybersecurity profession having a globally recognized standard for validating AI security expertise in the same way it does other cybersecurity disciplines.
Setting a New Standard for AI Security Certification
As cybersecurity professionals evolve and adapt their skillset and job functions because of AI, ISC2 has announced the development of a new AI security certification to recognize and benchmark AI skills and competence within the cybersecurity workforce.
The AI security certification development process presents an opportunity for cybersecurity professionals to have input into the process and help define parameters for the certification, such as how to validate experience and expertise in an area where skills shortages are already significant. Evidence from recent ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Studies consistently show that AI skills are now among the highest-priority competencies sought by cybersecurity teams and hiring managers alike. For employers, the development of the AI security certification is a step towards verifying that an individual has essential expertise in one of the fastest-growing areas of cybersecurity.
Take Part in Shaping the AI Certification
As with the existing nine ISC2 certifications, cybersecurity professionals around the world are encouraged to volunteer to help shape the certification by defining the knowledge, skills and abilities required to secure AI systems, manage AI threats and mitigate AI risk. This practitioner-led methodology, as with the existing ISC2 certifications, will ensure the AI security certification is established from the outset as a trusted, vendor-neutral AI security standard for cybersecurity professionals.
The certification development process will examine how cybersecurity professionals apply established security principles to environments shaped by AI. This includes areas such as risk management, secure-by-design methodology, data protection, governance and oversight. In addition, field-based expertise will determine which tasks, skills and knowledge areas should be represented in the certification criteria and in the corresponding exam.
How to Get Involved
Volunteering to help develop the AI security certification is simple. ISC2 members and the wider cybersecurity professional workforce can contribute. These include:
- Identifying the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to securely design, implement and manage AI systems.
- Creating questions for a pilot exam that validate these elements.
- Participate in publicly available pilot exams to help ensure the exam accurately validates a candidate’s knowledge, skills and abilities as identified in the development process.
The first step to supporting this effort is completing the Subject Matter Expert Volunteer Interest Form.
By participating in the development process, all cybersecurity professionals will be active stakeholders in the process and delivering a qualification that will serve as a globally recognized and consistent benchmark of AI-centric cybersecurity capability that teams, hiring managers and the AI community can use to identify and validate AI cybersecurity expertise.
For more information about the ISC2 AI security certification program and how to volunteer for the various development activities taking place, go to www.isc2.org/new-ai-certification.
