It is now widely recognized that traditional defenses against cyber attacks are ineffective. Perimiters have gaps that allow hackers to get through or around them. Firewalls cannot stop a determined hacker. As long as humans try to out-think other humans attackers will have the advantage.
Using artificial intelligence and machine learning shifts the balance. They can provide automatic network security monitoring, behavioral analytics and check for phishing emails. It can be trained to learn patterns, identify deviations and continually improve its performance. By spotting threats more quickly than humans, AI can save money and preserve confidential data.
As with any system, AI is not perfect. Hackers will exploit it, and any program is only as good as its programmers. Still, the advantages outweigh the limitations. as estimated by Cyber Security Intelligence, AI is 20 times more effective against cyber attacks than traditional defenses.