AI is transforming security. While attackers are experimenting with AI to scale phishing, fraud, and automation, defenders are focused on how it can help them find risks faster, cut noise, and manage growing cloud complexity.

At Brex and FICO, two security leaders are seeing this shift firsthand. In this post, we’ll share their perspectives on how AI is shaping security operations and what it means for the future of defense.

AI as a Business Enabler and New Responsibility

For Mark Hillick, CISO at Brex, AI has evolved from a security consideration into a core business capability. Brex recently placed its AI labs under Mark’s organization, putting security and AI innovation side by side.

Mark’s philosophy centers on one idea: security should not slow down innovation. It should accelerate it. That means embedding security directly into engineering and product development rather than bolting it on later. His team works closely with sales, legal, and finance, balancing the need for speed with the demands of compliance and customer trust.

Security should be within engineering, close to the product, and part of the release and feature discussions.

Mark Hillick, CISO, Brex

By staying tightly aligned with Brex’s engineering teams, Mark ensures that security is viewed as a business enabler and a trusted partner in adopting AI responsibly.

Defenders Turn to AI for Scale and Speed

As AI becomes more deeply embedded in business operations, security leaders are exploring how to harness its capabilities to scale defenses and improve speed. For Yoni Kaplansky, VP of Cybersecurity at FICO, the promise of AI lies in transforming the SOC. His vision is to use AI to group issues, prioritize risks, and recommend remediations at machine speed, replacing time-intensive manual analysis with seconds.

My vision for AI is that it can help us identify problem areas, prioritize them, analyze the impact, and recommend remediation — something that would typically take days, weeks, or even months.

Yoni Kaplansky, VP of Cybersecurity, FICO

AI-powered systems can analyze massive datasets, normalize expected behaviors, and surface deviations humans might never catch, finding the “needle in the haystack” that traditional tools often miss.

At Brex, Mark’s approach focuses on partnership. By working alongside AI engineers within the trust organization, security becomes a collaborative force rather than a gatekeeper. That shift has helped Brex adopt AI responsibly, with security built in from the start.

Cloud Complexity Meets AI

For many organizations, AI’s role in security is amplified by the growing complexity of the cloud. At FICO, Yoni sees this every day. Sprawling multi-cloud environments, hundreds of identities, and constant human-driven changes make traditional detection and response models unsustainable.

New automation workflows, decentralizing ownership across business units, and tools like Wiz Defend are helping FICO manage security at scale. But the next evolution involves using AI to accelerate remediation, not just surfacing risks but empowering teams to act on them faster.

The convergence of cloud scale, identity sprawl, and AI-powered threats is redefining what modern detection and response must look like.

Building Trust, Not Fear

Despite the risks AI introduces, these leaders share a common perspective: security should be a business enabler, not a barrier. At Brex, Mark emphasizes “leading with trust” and ensuring security is not seen as “the team in the corner that says no.” At FICO, Yoni focuses on giving business units the visibility and responsibility they need to secure their environments.

By prioritizing partnership and transparency, these leaders ensure their organizations adopt AI securely while continuing to innovate.

Key Takeaways for Security Leaders

• See AI as both a risk and an opportunity. Organizations adopting AI quickly will be better positioned to manage emerging threats

• Embed AI into business workflows. Security, engineering, and product teams must align from the start.

• Invest in visibility and automation. AI can help cut noise and accelerate detection and response.

• Free up your people. Use AI to handle repetitive tasks so security teams can focus on strategic work.

• Prioritize explainability. AI should be explainable, intentional, and actionable. Security leaders must be able to clearly articulate the why and how behind AI-driven decisions to build trust across the business.

• Lead with trust, not fear. Build confidence across the business while securing AI adoption.

Conclusion

AI is changing the way security teams operate. While attackers may experiment with AI, the real opportunity lies in empowering defenders. By embracing automation, improving visibility, and embedding security into engineering from the start, leaders can use AI to turn complexity into control.

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