AI Is Reshaping Cybersecurity Jobs, but Human Expertise Remains Critical: CSA Study

1. [Singapore, 13 October 2026] Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing how cybersecurity professionals work, creating opportunities to improve cyber defence while driving demand for new skills and capabilities. A new study commissioned by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) found that 77% of cybersecurity professionals surveyed see AI as more of a career opportunity than a threat, although 75% are concerned that some of their existing skills may become less relevant.  

2. The study, Building Singapore’s Cybersecurity Workforce for the Age of AI, was conducted by Blackbox Research and surveyed 1,000 respondents from government agencies, Critical Information Infrastructure Owners, cybersecurity services companies, and the private sector, who are currently using or piloting AI tools in their work. Published today at the Singapore International Cyber Week 2026, the report examines how AI is reshaping cybersecurity roles, skills requirements, hiring needs, and career development pathways in Singapore. 

Key Findings 

3. The study found that AI is increasingly being used to augment cybersecurity work, with 81% of respondents reporting that their organisations use AI-enabled cybersecurity tools and 92% agreeing that AI-enabled threats will require new skills within the next year.  

4. AI is reshaping cybersecurity work, and evolving threats create urgency to adapt and strengthen capabilities in AI-enabled cyber defence. 92% of cybersecurity professionals agree that AI-enabled threats will require new skills and capabilities within the next 12 months, while 87% believe attacker capabilities are advancing faster than many organisations in Singapore can defend against. This reinforces the need to strengthen capabilities to detect and respond to AI-enabled threats, while building the expertise needed to secure AI systems themselves. 

5. More than half of cybersecurity professionals report meaningful gains in the quality, speed and consistency of cybersecurity work from adoption of AI. Role augmentation¹ (53%) and redesign² (53%) are also commonly reported, suggesting that organisations are adapting existing roles around the need to possess AI competencies.  

6. As AI becomes more widely used, professionals will need technical depth and professional judgement to identify when AI outputs may be wrong or incomplete, challenge its conclusions and determine the appropriate response. The study report highlighted three highest-rated capabilities for professionals so that they remain competitive and are able to progress in their careers: 

   1. For entry-level professionals 

      1. 65% rated the need to possess strong cybersecurity fundamentals as it is critical to build the technical depth needed to understand the systems and threats they are dealing with; 

      2. 57% rated the ability to validate and challenge AI-generated outputs as cybersecurity professionals should not accept them at face value; and 

      3. 51% rated hands-on technical experience is required to develop the judgement needed for more complex responsibilities. 

   2. For professionals across all levels 

      1. 69% rated applying judgement and problem-solving in business and operational contexts highly, as cybersecurity professionals must go beyond technical fixes to understand organisational risk, weigh trade-offs, and make decisions that align with business priorities; 

      2. 66% rated cybersecurity domain knowledge and technical fundamentals highly as a strong grasp of core principles remains the foundation upon which professionals can effectively evaluate threats, assess vulnerabilities, and guide sound security decisions; and 

      3. 65% rated detecting and responding to AI-enabled cyber threats highly as adversaries are increasingly leveraging AI to launch more sophisticated and faster moving attacks, requiring professionals to stay ahead of evolving threat landscape. 

7. Cybersecurity professionals are broadly positive about the opportunities presented by AI, with 77% seeing it as more of a career opportunity than a threat. At the same time, 75% are concerned that some of their current skills may become less relevant. Realising the opportunities from AI will require professionals to continually renew their capabilities, through a combination of formal training, practical application and on-the-job learning as indicated through the survey.  

Next Steps for Singapore's Cybersecurity Workforce 

8. Building an AI-ready cybersecurity workforce will require coordinated action across government, employers, training providers and cybersecurity professionals. CSA will use the findings from the study report to inform its cybersecurity workforce development efforts, including: 

   1. Refreshing the cybersecurity track under the Skills Framework for Infocomm Technology (SFw for ICT) and CSA’s Operational Technology Cybersecurity Competency Framework (OTCCF), with the aim of establishing a new national cybersecurity competency framework that reflects evolving industry needs and emerging technology. CSA will use the findings to inform the development of the national cybersecurity competency framework, a key component of the Cybersecurity Professional Accreditation Framework.  

   2. Supporting employers in redesigning roles and workforce development pathways, educators in keeping training relevant to industry needs, and cybersecurity professionals in continually developing the capabilities needed to remain effective in an increasingly AI-enabled environment.  

9. The full study report is available at www.go.gov.sg/csa-ai-cyber-workforce-study ↗ (opens in new tab).