Under the AI hood: A view from RSA Conference

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are often touted in IT as crucial tools for automated detection, response, and remediation. Enrich your defenses with finely honed prior knowledge, proponents insist, and let the machines drive basic security decisions at scale. This year's RSA Conference had an entire track dedicated to security-focused AI, while the virtual show "floor" featured no fewer than 45 vendors hawking some form of AI or machine learning capabilities. While the profile of AI in security has evolved over the past five years from a dismissible buzzword to a legitimate consideration, many question its efficacy and appropriateness -- and even its core definition. This year's conference may not have settled the debate, but it did highlight the fact that AI, ML, and other deep-learning technologies are making their way deeper into the fabric of mainstream security solutions.