AI & Cybersecurity: Why People, Accountability & Resilience Still Matter

AI is changing cybersecurity at an incredible pace. But are organizations prepared for the risks that come with it?

In this episode of Protect It All, host Aaron Crow sits down with Brian Schleifer, an industry veteran with decades of experience spanning the military, technology, consulting, defense, and critical infrastructure.

Aaron and Brian explore what it really takes to adopt AI responsibly across IT and OT cybersecurity. Beyond the technology itself, they examine the human side of security, including communication, collaboration, accountability, and the skills needed to make new technologies work in the real world.

The conversation also tackles the growing challenges of AI governance, shadow AI, continuous monitoring, and cyber-physical resilience. Rather than treating AI as a magic solution, Brian offers a practical perspective on how organizations can be intentional about where and how they use AI while preparing for the disruptions it may create.

Key Learnings: 

• How organizations can approach AI adoption in IT and OT cybersecurity
• Why communication and collaboration are critical to successful security programs
• The growing risks of shadow AI and AI governance
• Why human accountability remains essential as AI becomes more capable
• How continuous monitoring can strengthen cyber-physical security
• Why organizations need to think beyond prevention and prepare for resilience and business continuity
• How people, process, and technology must work together in an AI-driven environment

Key Moments: 

05:22 Working in tech and cybersecurity

07:23 Importance of people skills in business

10:20 Importance of Listening First

14:31 Implementing Machine Learning Thoughtfully

16:44 Importance of Human Oversight in AI

20:21 Discussing security and human accountability

24:24 Publishing a book with AI tools

27:47 Future of computing technology

31:39 Focusing on disaster recovery strategies

35:27 Budgeting Challenges with Emerging Tech

38:00 Focus on proactive security planning

40:40 Evaluating cybersecurity effectiveness

45:49 Challenges in incident response logistics

47:33 Talking about Security Week events

Whether you're a cybersecurity leader, OT professional, technology executive, or simply trying to understand what AI means for the future of security, this episode offers practical perspectives on navigating the change without losing sight of what matters most.

Listen to the latest episode of Protect It All and discover how organizations can embrace AI while building the trust, accountability, and resilience needed to protect what matters.

About the Guest : 

Brian "SchleiF" Schleifer is a retired United States Air Force veteran, cybersecurity professional, content leader, and owner of PAVE Consulting LLC, which provides digital content creation and cybersecurity consulting. Through PAVE Consulting, he currently supports SecurityWeek as Director of Content and Events, helping lead conferences, podcasts, webinars, and executive-level cybersecurity programming. Brian previously served in senior cybersecurity engineering and leadership roles at Modern Technology Solutions Inc. His experience includes cyber-physical and weapon systems security, security control assessment, cyber testing, risk management, and AI governance. He is pursuing a Doctor of Technology at Purdue University, where his research focuses on adaptive cybersecurity policy for AI-enabled systems. He is also the creator of the Adaptive Artificial Intelligence Risk and Assurance Framework, or AAIRAF. With more than 10,000 hours of public speaking, instruction, and panel moderation experience, Brian is known for making complex cybersecurity, technology, and risk topics practical and accessible.

Important links to connect Brian: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-schleifer/ 

SecurityWeek: https://www.securityweek.com/ 

SecurityWeek TV: https://www.youtube.com/@SecurityWeek-TV 

PAVE YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@P.A.V.E. 

AI Risk Summit: https://www.airisksummit.com/ 

ICS Cyber Conference: https://www.icscybersecurityconference.com/ 

PAVE email: [email protected]

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