As more and more individuals and organizations are welcoming new technologies with open arms, artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-powered decision-making has become impossible to ignore. Important decisions that were once made by humans now can be entrusted to AI’s decision-making expertise.

We’re left to wonder how AI impacts decision-making and whether we can trust the results. As the cybersecurity sector evolves, so do the cyber threats. However, with human error as one of the top cybersecurity threats, is AI decision-making less trustworthy than humans?

What Is AI Decision-Making?

AI decision-making can be described as the capability of AI-powered systems to carry out data-processing tasks and make decisions with no (or little) help from humans.

By leaving the human factor out of the picture, AI can quantify qualitative data, make more precise predictions, and reach the right decisions. It can tackle complex tasks such as data analysis, data crunching, anomaly detection, and more. Once the task is completed, the final decision is either fully automated or made by humans—if depends on the system.

By taking over tiresome day-to-day tasks, AI frees up our time for more creative, business-focused activities. However, there’s no need to fear that AI will substitute humans in the business process anytime soon.

This AI decision-making process can be split into three core categories:

• Decision support: In this system, human intelligence and AI-powered, data-driven insights are combined to come up with more correct decisions.
• Decision augmentation: Like with the previous system, here AI doesn't aim to substitute humans but to support them in making decisions with multiple alternatives. It utilizes predictive analytics (to find potential outcomes) or prescriptive analytics (to find more options with a specific outcome) to come up with these decisions.
• Decision automation: Unlike the previous two, this system has the task to replace humans by automating their day-to-day decision-making duties.

Since AI is hard to avoid in our present-day world, it’s smart to check out the dangers of AI before we have to deal with them.

What Role Does AI Decision-Making Play in Cybersecurity?

As AI-powered systems have the ability to make decisions and carry out tasks independently of humans, they can analyze larger volumes of risk-related data at a speed that no human being can match. Also, powered by AI, security systems can utilize machine learning (ML) to upgrade their defenses and counter ongoing cyberattacks more competently.

For instance, they can collect real-time data about active cyber threats such as the newest email frauds, and stop unsuspecting victims from clicking on malicious links or downloading malware-infested documents. After all, cyber crimes such as phishing scams and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks are disturbingly common, and a security system that can work like clockwork without sleep or need to take time off to upgrade its cybercrime tactics is a powerful ally.

All three sorts of AI decision-making processes (support, augmentation, and automation) can be utilized to strengthen cybersecurity.

Pros of Using AI in Cybersecurity

Since we all agree that the use of AI decision-making in cybersecurity is something we’ll see more of in the future, let’s check what are the main advantages of it.

• AI can work day and night: Unlike human cybersecurity staff that needs to get some shut-eye now and then, AI can analyze data searching for cyber threats and vulnerabilities around the clock.
• It could eradicate human error: Since people are the weakest link in the cybersecurity chain, it’s safer to let AI take care of all the tasks we’re terrible at (like prioritizing tasks and attending to main duties).
• ML is a game-changer for threat detection: Unlike human cybersecurity experts that must undergo training to identify and understand new cyber threats, an AI system can catch wind of new threats automatically.
• It makes biometric authentication smarter: Whether we’re talking about fingertip, iris, or voice recognition, AI is making biometric logins smoother and more secure.
• It could cut the costs of cyberattacks: In case of a successful cyberattack, an AI-powered security system could mitigate damage and minimize financial loss.

Cons of Using AI in Cybersecurity

We don’t think AI will suddenly become conscious, start to feel serious contempt toward humanity, and do everything to destroy it—far from it (for now). However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows with AI in cybersecurity either. What’s more, there are more than a few reasons why you shouldn't blindly trust AI.

• Bias in AI and ML: There are two types of bias in AI, algorithmic AI (better known as data bias) and societal AI bias, and both can make AI-based security systems biased as well.
• Lack of transparency in AI: Since AI works as a black box, we can’t collect the information we need to understand how an AI system actually makes decisions.
• Issues with integration with existing security systems: Not all AI-based security systems can be smoothly integrated with existing ones which could impair the organization's security architecture.
• Proneness to false positives: Due to our lack of understanding of AI decision-making and AI’s reliance on data, ML algorithms can make anomaly detection mistakes (like removing data that isn’t a threat) putting systems at risk for real cyber threats.

Can We Trust AI in Cybersecurity?

As both technologies advance, AI and cybersecurity are becoming increasingly interwoven. However, does that means we should leave our worries behind and put our trust in AI decision-making?

As with any other piece of tech, AI’s decision-making potential has its advantages and disadvantages. It can safeguard our systems day and night, eliminate human error, and learn from new cyberattacks at the same time. However, it can be attacked like any other component of a security system and these attacks could affect its “mind” in a manner we’re yet to understand.

This makes it critical that we understand the risks and rewards of utilizing AI in cybersecurity before we can consider it as one of our closest allies.