Cybersecurity threats are constantly evolving, with bad actors always looking for the best and newest practices and technologies to launch more attacks with higher success rates and larger payouts. The AI boom in recent years has brought advanced tools to the forefront of tech news, prompting organizations and individuals to adopt AI capabilities for a vast range of purposes, and cybercrime is no exception.
With AI-empowered threats posing risks to organizations every day, the limitations of human-based security operations make it difficult to protect against these attacks. Many organizations lack the in-house staff and resources to sufficiently defend against all threats, and the use of AI by cybercriminals only exacerbates this issue. In response to this, autonomous AI agents have emerged as a way to fill the need for more advanced and effective security tools.
Microsoft Security Copilot's Evolution
Microsoft Security Copilot is a tool that was launched in 2024 to aid security professionals in the detection, investigation, and remediation of cybersecurity incidents. The tool features capabilities including proactive monitoring, customizable alerts, automated incident response, and auditing for compliance. The advent of a tool like this made it possible for organizations to cover more ground regarding security without overextending staff or budgets.
On March 24th, 2025, Microsoft announced that Microsoft Security Copilot will be expanded with new security agents, with previews available in April. The agents will include six new agentic solutions from Microsoft Security and five from Microsoft partners, highlighting the importance of security collaboration. The Microsoft-built agents that will be available across the Microsoft security platform are designed for phishing triage, alert triage, conditional access optimization, vulnerability remediation, and threat intelligence briefing. The agents designed by Microsoft partners are built to assist with privacy breach response, network supervision, SecOps tooling, alert triage, and task optimization.
AI Agents: A Response to Industry-Wide Challenges
The growth and advancement of AI technology have led to an increasingly complex and crowded threat landscape as bad actors use cutting-edge tools to launch larger volumes of more sophisticated attacks. AI advances and other circumstances have created an environment where security teams have “a perpetual onslaught of alerts and issues coming at them, often with limited context,” according to Kris Bondi, CEO and Co-Founder of Mimoto. This can lead to widespread burnout among cybersecurity professionals, severely hindering their ability to respond to pressing alerts, but AI agents “should be able to help in responding to what has been found.”
As one of the major factors in the growing complexity and volume of attacks, AI is also a necessary tool in defending against those attacks. While AI agents can present risks of their own if given too many privileges in sensitive areas, the strategic importance of AI in reducing human workload must not be underestimated. Automating and streamlining some of the tedious and time-consuming processes involved in triaging and responding to security alerts can alleviate much of the burden on security teams.
Market Perspective: The AI Agent Revolution
The growing risks of AI-empowered threats only increase in the era of autonomous AI agents. Market research and guidance firm Gartner estimates that by 2027, AI agents will cut the time required to exploit account exposures in half. The use of autonomous AI agents can render the process of crafting and launching attacks far more efficient, allowing attackers to reap the advantages of sophisticated attacks without the need to put in nearly as much time and effort.
In response to the growing AI threat and the need for adaptable solutions, major vendors are choosing to embed AI capabilities into their products to transform cybersecurity. Enterprises are also attempting to incorporate AI technology into their operations to increase efficiency in many areas, with varying levels of security. According to a recent Microsoft report, 57% of organizations report AI usage, leading to an increase in security incidents, and 60% have yet to begin implementing AI security controls.
Implications for Cybersecurity Professionals
With the addition of autonomous AI agents to support their efforts, cybersecurity professionals are potentially going to see their job roles and responsibilities shift. Rather than spending their working hours sifting through overwhelming volumes of security alerts, security teams could see their time spent on pressing security tasks and projects that require a human touch. This development could enhance effectiveness and reduce burnout among security professionals.
Future-Proofing Cybersecurity Through AI
Implementing autonomous AI agents for cybersecurity can present a number of challenges that security professionals must address. It is important for security teams to prepare for collaboration between AI and human experts. The World Economic Forum suggests taking steps to ease this relationship, including clearly defining AI and human roles in security, identifying blind spots and over-reliance, and developing plans for the integration of AI tools into cybersecurity operations.
There are also ethical considerations surrounding agency and accountability in AI-driven security. It is difficult to pin down exactly who is responsible for preventing an autonomous AI agent from taking actions that lead to cybersecurity incidents. Security professionals must consider these issues when attempting to adopt and incorporate AI tools in order to achieve the long-term goal of continuous adaptive security strategies powered by AI.
Conclusion: The Next Cybersecurity Frontier
Microsoft’s announcement that they will be releasing multiple AI agentic solutions in Microsoft Security Copilot is emblematic of a pivotal step in the development of AI technologies in cybersecurity. It is likely that if these AI agents are successful and well-received, they will be part of a broader industry adoption and adaptation of AI in security tools and solutions. It is crucial for organizations to take steps to protect against the risks associated with AI adoption while implementing AI-enhanced solutions to ensure smooth and secure integration and collaboration with these tools.
