As the world embraces the transformative potential of artificial intelligence, the cloud computing landscape is evolving at a rapid pace, transforming cybersecurity in the process.

Howie Xu (pictured), senior vice president of engineering for AI and machine learning at Palo Alto Networks Inc., talked about the impact of AI on the security industry. Xu’s expertise and deep understanding of AI shed light on the ways in which this groundbreaking technology is revolutionizing various sectors. From automating repetitive tasks in security to empowering solopreneurs with AI copilots, the possibilities are vast.

“I felt like entrepreneurship will evolve a little bit towards the solopreneur,” Xu said. “There we’ll see a lot more solopreneur than the traditional version of the entrepreneur … because they have co-pilots, they have AI, their tech stack is not the same as before. They can get a lot done.”

Xu spoke with theCUBE industry analysts John Furrier and Dave Vellante at the Supercloud 3: Security, AI and the Supercloud event, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed how AI is transforming the security industry and the impact of AI on job roles and entrepreneurship.

The role of AI in transforming the security industry

AI is revolutionizing various industries, and the security sector is no exception. Speaking about the impact of AI in the security domain, Xu highlighted the importance of data in the AI industry. AI has the potential to automate repetitive tasks in the security industry, addressing the significant gap of unfilled security professional openings. AI can help fill this void and remove human repetitive work, leading to improved efficiency and effectiveness in the field of security.

The integration of AI into security operations is crucial due to the increasing pace of attacks and the need for high-speed defense mechanisms. As data becomes the driving force behind AI advancements, the architecture of distributed computing and next-gen cloud, supercloud is rapidly changing, Xu pointed out. The architecture needs to adapt to accommodate the influx of new data and support the augmentation of human intelligence with AI capabilities.

“I think AI is here to automate a lot of that,” Xu said. “I think there’s a lot of the human repetitive work, there’s a huge potential to remove that.”

The impact of AI on job roles and entrepreneurship

The discussion with Xu also delved into the transformative effect of AI on job roles and the entrepreneurial landscape. AI has the potential to make individuals more productive by automating certain tasks, Xu explained. The rise of AI could lead to a new breed of entrepreneurs known as “solopreneurs” who can leverage AI technologies to start and run successful ventures without the need for large teams. This is because AI allows individuals to accomplish more with fewer resources, enabling them to tap into new opportunities and create innovative products and services.

In addition, while AI may bring about changes in job roles, it also presents new opportunities that never existed before. AI’s impact extends beyond job replacement and should be viewed as a means to augment human intellectual capital, Xu stated.

AI can potentially enhance the capabilities of security professionals, data scientists, developers and information technology personnel, enabling them to scale their knowledge and expertise. This makes it important to understand system architecture, business requirements and future-proofing in the evolving job landscape.

“I talk about it from a few different dimensions,” Xu said. “We were talking about foundation model. People say all the internet data has been already ingested, there’s no room to grow. I actually disagree. There’s … so much proprietary data that has yet to be understood, ingested to those foundation models.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the Supercloud 3: Security, AI and the Supercloud event:

Photo: SiliconANGLE