Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a mere enhancement in cybersecurity—it’s essential. My conversation with Dr. Dorit Dor, Chief Technology Officer at Check Point Software Technologies, reinforced AI’s transformative role in defending against cyber threats. As a pioneer in Israel’s cybersecurity sector, Dorit has been shaping security strategies for nearly three decades.

AI’s Expanding Role in Cybersecurity
From Check Point’s early days to its global prominence, Dorit has emphasized the need to shift from reactive threat detection to proactive prevention. “AI empowers attackers to scale their operations dramatically,” she explained. Today, targeted cyberattacks occur at mass scale, making real-time defense a necessity.

The Challenge of AI-Driven Threats
Organizations now face AI-generated threats daily, including deepfakes and hyper-targeted phishing campaigns. Dorit stressed the urgency of stopping attacks as they happen, not just detecting them afterward. The conversation highlighted a growing vulnerability: supply chain security. Cybercriminals increasingly exploit weak links within supply chains, underscoring the importance of securing every aspect of an organization’s ecosystem. “Supply chain attacks have significantly increased,” she warned, calling for rigorous internal security among providers.

AI and the Future of Cybersecurity Operations
Beyond threat prevention, AI is reshaping cybersecurity roles. “The human factor will increasingly shift from direct intervention to supervising AI agents executing defensive tasks,” Dorit noted. Traditional manual security processes are giving way to AI-driven systems, requiring cybersecurity teams to act as strategic managers rather than hands-on defenders.

The Urgency to Adapt
Cybersecurity must evolve at the pace of emerging threats. AI-driven attackers pose a growing risk, and organizations failing to integrate AI into their security frameworks will struggle to keep up. Dorit’s perspective aligns with my own experiences at Clarity, where AI-driven cybersecurity is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. As she put it, “Organizations today need solutions that can respond automatically and intelligently. We must empower our defenses to act decisively when under attack.”

Looking Ahead
AI stands at a crossroads: both a threat multiplier and a defensive enabler. Organizations must act swiftly to integrate AI into their cybersecurity strategies, ensuring they stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated threats. Dorit’s insights serve as both a warning and a roadmap—those that embrace AI will not just survive but thrive in the evolving digital landscape.