AI Becomes Top Training Priority as Cybersecurity Teams Race to Keep Up, ISC2 Report Finds

Artificial intelligence has rapidly become the dominant skill cybersecurity teams are scrambling to learn, according to ISC2’s 2026 Security Training Trends report.

Nearly half of security leaders now rank AI as their most urgent training need—surpassing cloud security, risk assessment, and traditional analysis skills—as organizations grapple with the speed and unpredictability of AI adoption.

ISC2 surveyed 995 security leaders across six major markets, and the results show a profession struggling to keep pace. Forty percent expect AI advancements to drive new training demands within the next year, with agentic AI and automation close behind.

Casey Marks, ISC2’s COO, said the shift is unlike previous technology transitions because AI is evolving too quickly for teams to map out long-term training plans. Many organizations are abandoning generic vendor courses in favor of custom, in‑house programs tailored to their own tools and environments. Sixty‑three percent now build most of their training internally, while only 9% rely primarily on third‑party providers.

As AI tools spread across enterprises, CISOs are increasingly responsible for ensuring teams are trained before new technologies are deployed. More than half of leaders say new tech adoption is what triggers training needs in the first place. Yet even with rising budgets—73% report increases—time remains the biggest barrier. Training typically happens during work hours, and despite dedicated time blocks or adjusted workloads, more than half of leaders say scheduling pressures still derail learning.

The report also highlights widening skills gaps: 59% of leaders say their teams have critical or significant shortages, up sharply from last year. Marks said AI sits at the center of nearly every gap, influencing cloud security, risk management, SecOps, and more. Regional differences persist—AI is the top priority in the U.S. and U.K., but cloud security leads in India and security analysis tops Japan—though ISC2 expects global alignment as AI adoption accelerates.

With threats evolving and AI workloads increasing, Marks warned that organizations will need faster, lighter, and more frequent training cycles to keep pace. Protecting time for learning, he said, will be one of the biggest challenges security leaders face in the years ahead.