Riding the AI Waves: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence to Combat Cyber Threats

This article outlines the evolution of AI in cybersecurity from early defensive uses (spam filtering and basic ML models) through broader adoption in the cloud and SaaS era, to the current dual-use landscape where generative and adversarial AI empower both defenders and attackers—enabling threats such as AI-generated phishing, automated reconnaissance, behavior-aware malware, and AI-assisted social engineering. It emphasizes the need for organizations to adapt defenses as AI lowers barriers for sophisticated attacks while continuing to advance AI-driven protection.