ISC2 Launches Cyber-AI Workforce Coalition to Define Essential Cybersecurity Skills for the AI Era

Coalition of employers, workforce leaders and technology developers
will create a toolkit defining how cybersecurity jobs, roles and skills are evolving

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ISC2 – the world's leading nonprofit member organization for cybersecurity professionals – today announced the launch of the Cyber-AI Workforce Coalition that brings together technology providers, major employers and workforce development organizations to define cybersecurity workforce readiness in the AI era.

AI is changing cybersecurity faster than organizations can keep pace. Cybersecurity leaders need a plan for how their workforce evolves to meet the threat, and the practitioners doing the work need a clear path to build the right skills.

"AI is not just changing technology; it is changing how cybersecurity work gets done. The cybersecurity community must come together to define how responsibilities, roles and skills will evolve so organizations can confidently prepare for what comes next," said ISC2 CEO Scott Beale, CC. "Our focus is ensuring people remain at the center of cybersecurity's future and that the workforce is equipped to protect and secure an increasingly AI-enabled world. In collaboration with employers, technology companies, academic institutions and other stakeholders, ISC2 and the coalition will develop a toolkit for navigating this transformation."

The Coalition's competency toolkit will provide practical guidance for how employers hire, develop and organize cybersecurity talent, and how practitioners can identify and build the expertise employers need.

No single employer, vendor or institution can define the AI-era cybersecurity workforce alone. By pooling their perspectives, founding members will produce a common, practitioner-tested definition of the skills and judgment cybersecurity requires in the AI era. The Coalition's founding group will reflect the organizations shaping the AI-era workforce.

For ISC2's more than 270,000 members worldwide, this work ensures cybersecurity professionals are represented as AI reshapes cybersecurity workplace roles, skills and expectations. ISC2 will convene a founding group of employers, technology leaders and workforce organizations this fall to shape the Coalition's agenda.

About ISC2

ISC2 is the world's leading member organization for cybersecurity professionals, driven by our vision of a safe and secure cyber world. Our more than 270,000 certified members, and associates, are a force for good, safeguarding the way we live. Our award-winning certifications – including cybersecurity's premier certification, the CISSP® – enable professionals to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and abilities at every stage of their careers. ISC2 strengthens the influence, diversity and vitality of the cybersecurity profession through advocacy, expertise and workforce empowerment that accelerates cyber safety and security in an interconnected world. Our charitable foundation, the Center for Cyber Safety and Education, helps create more access to cyber careers and educates those most vulnerable. Learn more, get involved or become an ISC2 Candidate to build your cyber career at ISC2.org. Connect with us on X, Facebook and LinkedIn.

© 2026 ISC2 Inc., ISC2, CISSP, SSCP, CCSP, CGRC, CSSLP, HCISPP, ISSAP, ISSEP, ISSMP, CC, and CBK are registered marks of ISC2, Inc.

Media Contact:

Jarred LeFebvre
Senior Director, Global Communications
ISC2
[email protected]

SOURCE ISC2