Traditional security awareness training is facing challenges in the era of advancing artificial intelligence (AI). AI-powered threats, such as smishing, vishing, deepfakes, and AI chatbot-based attacks, could make the traditional human-centric approach to defense ineffective. Currently, security awareness training teaches individuals to identify signs and tactics used in social engineering attacks. However, even the best-trained individuals can make mistakes due to stress, fatigue, and cognitive overload. In the future, AI-driven attacks will have access to more data and better language models, making their interactions indistinguishable from human behavior. AI-based attacks already have advantages, including seamless personalization, real-time adaptation, and emotional manipulation.

As AI technology evolves, the future of security awareness training requires a multifaceted approach that combines real-time automated intervention, better cyber transparency, AI detection, and human training. It should include teaching individuals to recognize technical interventions by the brand or enterprise, embrace better cyber transparency, and detect AI and AI agents interacting with applications. By adapting security awareness training, we can protect brands and enterprises from AI-powered deception and ensure a more secure future. Tom Tovar is the CEO and co-creator of Appdome, a fully automated unified mobile app defense platform. He has a background in law and brings practical advice from serving in leadership roles at cyber and technology companies.