CAISEC 2026 Experts: AI Is Reshaping Cyber Warfare as Organizations Turn to “Fighting AI with AI”
Cybersecurity experts participating in CAISEC 2026 warned that artificial intelligence is fundamentally transforming the balance between cyber attackers and defenders, forcing organizations to rethink traditional security strategies and accelerate the adoption of AI-driven defense mechanisms.
Speaking during a panel titled “Machine-Speed Defense Against Machine-Speed Threats” at the fifth edition of the CAISEC cybersecurity summit, industry leaders agreed that cybercriminals are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence to automate attacks, identify vulnerabilities faster, and expand the scale of their operations, creating an urgent need for equally advanced defensive capabilities.
Tarek Fouad, Sales Director at Trellix, said the concept of “Machine-Speed Defense” has become a cornerstone of modern cybersecurity. He explained that the approach combines automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to detect, analyze, and respond to threats within seconds—or even fractions of a second.
According to Fouad, cybersecurity defenses have evolved significantly over the past decade, moving from rule-based detection models to behavioral analytics and, more recently, AI-powered detection and response systems designed to reduce reliance on manual intervention and accelerate security operations.
Loay Saleh, Cybersecurity Technical Assessments Manager at the National Bank of Egypt, highlighted the growing role of artificial intelligence in Security Operations Centers (SOCs). He noted that modern platforms can now analyze user behavior patterns, detect anomalies, and identify potential threats with a level of speed and accuracy that was previously unattainable.
Saleh added that generative AI models are increasingly serving as “intelligent security advisors,” helping analysts interpret incidents, prioritize alerts, and recommend response actions, while emphasizing that final decision-making remains under human supervision.
He also pointed to the emergence of Autonomous Defense systems, which represent the next stage in cybersecurity evolution by enabling automated threat detection, investigation, and response with minimal human involvement.
Rami Nakkash, Senior Security Consultant at Palo Alto Networks, stressed that discussions around defense speed must also consider the growing speed of cyberattacks.
“Threat actors are already using artificial intelligence throughout multiple stages of the attack lifecycle, particularly in vulnerability discovery and target reconnaissance,” he said.
Nakkash noted that advances in AI-powered code analysis have significantly improved attackers’ ability to identify software weaknesses, increasing pressure on organizations to strengthen their cyber defenses.
Meanwhile, Omar El-Ouly, Head of Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) at eFinance, said AI has dramatically changed the nature of cyber competition.
“Organizations are no longer facing adversaries operating at human speed. They are confronting automated environments capable of reconnaissance, analysis, and execution at machine speed,” he said.
El-Ouly argued that responding to this reality requires more than technology investments. It also demands new governance frameworks, enhanced risk management models, and stronger collaboration among stakeholders.
He emphasized the growing importance of dynamic risk assessment models that evaluate user behavior, access context, geolocation, and working patterns, supported by risk-based authentication technologies.
He also warned that fully automated security actions, such as isolating systems or suspending services, must be governed by clearly defined policies to avoid unintended disruption to business operations.
Hesham Magdy, CEO of Snappers, identified the shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals as one of the industry's most pressing challenges.
He said security teams are increasingly overwhelmed by growing volumes of tools, alerts, and data while facing more sophisticated attacks.
“Artificial intelligence and automation are no longer optional efficiency tools. They have become strategic necessities for bridging the gap between the scale of cyber threats and the availability of cybersecurity talent,” Magdy said.
Ahmed El-Beheiny, Country Manager of CyberKnight Egypt, added that AI’s impact on cybercriminals extends beyond improving attack quality to dramatically increasing attack volume and speed.
Tasks that previously required days or weeks, such as vulnerability discovery and target analysis, can now be completed in a fraction of the time using AI-powered technologies, significantly expanding attackers’ capabilities, he explained.
At the conclusion of the session, participants agreed that the future of cybersecurity will depend on close collaboration between human expertise and artificial intelligence.
They emphasized that traditional security approaches alone are no longer sufficient to counter modern threats and argued that organizations must increasingly embrace a “Fight AI with AI” strategy, leveraging intelligent automation and advanced analytics to build cyber defenses capable of matching the speed, scale, and complexity of AI-driven attacks.
The session formed part of CAISEC 2026, one of the Middle East and Africa’s leading cybersecurity events, bringing together government officials, technology companies, cybersecurity specialists, and industry leaders to discuss emerging threats and the future of digital resilience.