National Cyber Summit puts AI’s impact on the workforce in focus - WAFF

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - Artificial intelligence is changing more than how people do their jobs. Some Huntsville cybersecurity employers say it is also changing how they determine whether someone is ready to be hired.

AI and its growing role in the workforce were among the conversations Tuesday as students, cybersecurity professionals and employers gathered in Huntsville for the National Cyber Summit.

Jamie Miller, CEO of Huntsville-based cybersecurity company Mission Multiplier, said AI has already made its way into the hiring process.

“AI is really changing the game in all facets, particularly hiring,” Miller said. “Really understanding kind of what people know is more difficult. People are using AI to kind of enable what they say to you in interviews.”

That is putting a greater focus on what candidates can do beyond simply knowing the latest technology.

Miller said rapid changes in technology mean his company looks closely at how candidates think, learn and solve problems.

“I don’t think it’s as important to be technology specific,” Miller said. “But I think it’s really looking at how you learn.”

Miller said the company looks for people with critical-thinking, presentation, interpersonal and management skills, along with the ability to solve difficult problems.

For students preparing to enter that workforce, the challenge is already showing up in the classroom.

Mississippi State University senior Constance Olexy, who wants to become a cybercrime investigator, said she has watched students turn to AI while learning programming.

“I have a class, a programming class, where most of the people were doing it through AI and not actually learning how to do it themselves,” Olexy said. “It helps and it makes it easier, but it’s easier to not actually learn it and just rely on AI for everything.”

Olexy is using the National Cyber Summit to gain hands-on experience in the field. She said the training gives her an opportunity to build experience before beginning her career and determine whether cybercrime investigation is the path she wants to pursue.

Jeremy Blevins, a senior GRC consultant at Mad Security and former cybersecurity instructor, said AI can be valuable when it is used to help people understand difficult material rather than replace their own thinking.

Blevins said he uses AI in his own work to break down complex tasks and filter information, but he emphasized the importance of verifying the information it produces.

“Being able to use AI as a tool instead of being used by AI is going to be a critical skill for people entering the workforce,” Blevins said.

That learning curve is not limited to students.

Karen Williams, a system security engineer and founder of Cyber Brews, said AI is also helping experienced professionals learn new technologies faster.

“It’s really changing the way that we’re learning across generations,” Williams said. “Even folks like me who have worked for 20 years, I can go in and ask about a new tool, and it can tell me step by step how to use that tool, and that’s how I’ve been able to stay current with technologies.”

For employers such as Miller, knowing how to use AI is increasingly part of being prepared for the workforce. He said candidates need to understand the technology while still bringing the human skills needed to think through difficult problems.

“AI is a tool, and it’s really how you use it,” Miller said. “And I think if you can use it well, we can succeed.”

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