Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping hiring expectations in cybersecurity, and the distance between adaptable professionals and those who are not is widening.

Dr. Keith Morneau, Dean of Computer and Information Science at ECPI University, recently joined host Steve Durbin on the ISF Podcast to work through what that shift actually looks like. The podcast is produced by the Information Security Forum, an independent, member-driven organization focused on cybersecurity research, frameworks, and risk management guidance.

The full conversation explores AI in hiring expectations, cyber education, and the workers most at risk.

What does AI actually mean for the cyber workforce?

The short answer Dr. Morneau offers is that AI is not eliminating cybersecurity roles. Rather, it’s changing what employers need from the people filling them. Dr. Morneau notes that workers who incorporate AI into their workflow will hold a meaningful advantage. Those who resist it are at increasing risk of being left behind.

Technical credentials alone are no longer sufficient. Understanding how systems interact has become more valuable than proficiency in any single skill, and professionals from non-traditional backgrounds often bring the adaptive thinking cyber teams need most.

The conversation also addresses what CEOs may be looking for in their next hire: not a specific title or credential set, but someone who knows how to use AI to work better, faster, and more efficiently.

How is ECPI University preparing students for this shift?

Cybersecurity programs at ECPI University are built around exactly this kind of workforce reality. With active integration of AI across its programs, the University is preparing students to work in environments where AI is part of daily practice.

Industry perspectives shape how these topics are taught and how curricula are structured. The goal is students who can work with emerging technologies from day one, not just recognize them from a textbook.

Faculty like Dr. Morneau bring that industry perspective directly into the classroom, and conversations like these reflect the University's ongoing involvement in shaping how the field thinks about the workforce ahead.