A new study by Exabeam reveals a sharp divide between executives and frontline cybersecurity analysts over artificial intelligence’s (AI) real-world impact on productivity, trust, and team structures.
In Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ), 71% of executives say AI has significantly improved cybersecurity team productivity. However, only 5% of cybersecurity analysts agree.
According to Exabeam, the disconnect highlights deeper concerns around operational effectiveness. While executives tout AI's potential to cut costs, streamline operations and enhance strategy, cybersecurity analysts dealing with the tools daily cite a surge in false positives, alert fatigue, and the continued need for manual oversight.
“There’s no shortage of AI hype in cybersecurity, but ask the people actually using the tools, and the story falls apart. Analysts are stuck managing tools that promise autonomy but constantly need tuning and supervision,” says Steve Wilson, Exabeam’s chief AI and product officer. “Agentic AI flips that script — it doesn’t wait for instructions, it takes action, cuts through the noise, and moves investigations forward without dragging teams down.”
The study also found that AI adoption is reshaping the cybersecurity workforce. Over half of APJ organisations surveyed said they’ve restructured their cybersecurity teams due to AI. While 31% report workforce reductions tied to automation, 23% are ramping up hiring in roles focused on AI governance, oversight, and data protection.
The findings suggest a shift toward a new operating model for security operations centres—one where agentic AI supports faster decisions, deeper investigations, and higher-value human work.
