The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on University Cyber Security Programs

Artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to transform the future of cyber security in many ways and higher education is no exception. Current course content taught in many subjects and especially some of the standard course offerings will become dated or irrelevant as AI-powered machines assume tasks for which the current group of students are being trained. The process of phasing out the old and introducing the new courses will be disruptive for students, educators and institutions even as fielding of AI-capable cyber security systems will be disruptive in industry and government environments. Universities that fail to adapt will find their cyber security offerings irrelevant, as their graduates become unemployable. AI-induced changes in the practice of cyber security and the related employment market will influence cyber security course content, the manner in which the classes are taught, as well as goals and learning objectives. Additionally, schools will need to change faculty requirements, while administrators will need to envision new directions and plan the migration to new programs. The impact of these AI-driven changes will create an inflection point for university cyber security program instructors, chairs, and deans. The researchers for this paper each bring various perspectives to the discussion through a pilot exploratory study. These views incorporated reflect the concerns of cyber security program leadership, the educators, the students and the researchers.