Sponsored: Should we ever trust AI? - Risky Bulletin

Summary

Risky Bulletin Podcast Summary
Episode: Sponsored: Should We Ever Trust AI?
Host: Casey Ellis
Guest: Chris Beam, Field CTO of Zero Networks
Release Date: July 13, 2025

Introduction

In this insightful episode of Risky Bulletin, host Casey Ellis engages in a thought-provoking discussion with Chris Beam, the Field CTO of Zero Networks. The focus of their conversation centers on the trustworthiness of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the realm of cybersecurity. They delve into the current landscape, exploring both the strengths and pitfalls of integrating AI into security operations.

Guest Introduction: Chris Beam’s Role and Expertise

Casey begins by inviting Chris to elaborate on his role at Zero Networks. Chris explains:

“The field CTO role is a very up and coming thing for sure... I provide internal operation assistance as well as working with our customers, helping with, primarily solving the challenge that we have here at Zero Trust is Zero Trust, segmentation and ransomware.”
[00:28]

Chris brings over 15 years of experience in cybersecurity, specializing in product management across various domains such as SIMs, EDRs, identity security, and key authentication. His expertise positions him as a key player in addressing modern security challenges, particularly those related to Zero Trust architectures and micro-segmentation.

Current Security Challenges in Cybersecurity

Before diving into AI, Casey probes into the prevailing security challenges faced by CISOs and infrastructure teams. Chris identifies the growing concerns around the impact of AI on security, highlighting issues like deepfakes and the need for robust training and user education:

“One topic I always say I talk about is the impact of artificial intelligence... I just saw a phenomenal video this of Google's new AI technology showing how an interview just like this could be all faked with AI.”
[02:09]

He emphasizes that while micro-segmentation remains a critical focus, the advent of AI introduces new layers of complexity and threats that organizations must navigate.

The Impact of AI on Cybersecurity

The conversation shifts to the pervasive influence of AI in cybersecurity marketing. Casey notes the saturation of AI claims in the industry and questions where the real value lies amidst the hype. Chris responds by acknowledging the ubiquity of AI but distinguishes between meaningful applications and overblown claims:

“Based on my personal experience... AI starts to shine is actually proving in context and helping out the end user... like correlations of logs, anomalies, those are things where AI starting to shine.”
[04:07]

He recounts his experience with early AI implementations, noting significant improvements in generative AI capabilities that have enhanced the scalability and effectiveness of security solutions.

Where AI Adds Real Value vs. Over-Hyped Applications

Chris elaborates on the practical benefits of AI, particularly in data analysis and anomaly detection, while cautioning against over-reliance:

“With modern artificial intelligence, and I'm talking about generative AI capabilities, you could get into a scale of much, much bigger volumes and start coming up with pretty cool scenarios...”
[05:47]

He contrasts this with earlier, less effective AI models, illustrating the transformative potential of current AI technologies when applied judiciously.

Zero Networks’ Approach to AI and Avoiding Over-Reliance

Casey steers the discussion towards Zero Networks' unique approach to AI. Chris clarifies that while their technology leverages learning capabilities, it does not heavily rely on AI for decision-making:

“What Zero Networks does uniquely well is they learn and then they provide automation on top of that without guessing... we can say, no, we know because of what you've done, we're going to do the following.”
[06:46]

He underscores the importance of reliability and explainability in their solutions, ensuring that automated actions are based on concrete learned behaviors rather than probabilistic AI guesses.

The Risks of Trusting AI Too Much in Mission-Critical Areas

A significant portion of the conversation addresses the potential dangers of over-trusting AI, especially in scenarios requiring deterministic outcomes. Chris warns against allowing AI to make critical decisions without human oversight:

“Right now, with today's technology, do you feel comfortable for your hospitals, your police departments, your multiple things for being fully artificial intelligence driven? There's some things I would say probably not yet today I would look at it, but I wouldn't trust it to make a life or death decision across all sectors.”
[08:33]

He emphasizes that while AI can augment human decision-making, it should not replace it in areas where errors could have severe consequences.

Advice for Practitioners: Separating Risk from Useful AI Applications

In providing guidance to cybersecurity professionals, Chris offers practical advice on integrating AI responsibly:

“If you're looking at artificial intelligence powered anything, if it can't explain what it's doing, it's not worth considering... Prioritization should be explainability.”
[11:59]

He advocates for a cautious, step-by-step approach to adopting AI, recommending that organizations start with non-critical applications to extend capabilities without risking essential operations. Additionally, he stresses the importance of understanding AI's decision-making processes to ensure transparency and accountability.

Conclusion

As the discussion wraps up, Casey and Chris reflect on the rapid advancements and pervasive influence of AI across various industries. Chris reiterates the necessity of balancing AI's benefits with its inherent risks, advocating for solutions that enhance human capabilities without relinquishing control over critical decisions.

“It's a very timely conversation to be having... sorting the wheat from the chaff.”
[13:35]

Casey thanks Chris for his valuable insights, emphasizing the relevance of this conversation in the current cybersecurity landscape.

Contact Information

For those interested in learning more about Zero Networks and their approach to AI-powered cybersecurity solutions, Chris Beam can be reached directly via LinkedIn or through the Zero Networks website.

This episode of Risky Bulletin provides a comprehensive exploration of the nuanced role AI plays in cybersecurity. By balancing enthusiasm for technological advancements with a healthy skepticism of over-reliance, Chris Beam offers a roadmap for integrating AI in ways that enhance security without compromising critical decision-making processes.

Transcript

A (0:03)

Good afternoon, good morning and good evening everyone. This is Casey Ellis. We're here with the Risky Business sponsored interview. It's time to chat with Chris Beam of Zero Networks. We're going to talk about when to trust AI in security and when not to. At least today that's kind of the, the topic of conversation. So, you know, like, let's, let's kind of kick it off. Chris, tell us a bit about what you do at Zero Networks. Like you're field CTO there. What does that, what does that mean? What does that look like in practice?

B (0:28)

The field CTO role is a very up and coming thing for sure. I've been seeing these pop up into almost every organization I'm associated with, even on LinkedIn and other groups with Friends. But for me as an individual, I am on the executive leadership team here at Zero Networks and I provide internal operation assistance as well as working with our customers, helping with, primarily solving the challenge that we have here at Zero Trust is Zero Trust, segmentation and ransomware. That's the things we're solving. So my mission is to help customers solve those problems and make sure it works effectively across our organization. Whether that's marketing, sales, engineering, customer advocacy, the list kind of goes wide. But I'm a technical expert in the field for micro segmentation.

A (1:10)

Excellent. So technical expert that understands the business layer and that side of things and understands obviously the solution, sales process and problem solution fit all those good things.

B (1:19)

Yeah, it's an interesting role for sure because you have to kind of have an experience in every field. And then for me, I have been in the cybersecurity space for over 15 years now. One of the things that I've been really, I fell into is the product management side. So I've worked on SIMs, EDRs, identity security, key authentication. Like the list kind of goes on and on and all of a sudden you just realize you're a product expert without even trying to be.

A (1:45)

Yeah, absolutely. I can relate to that a little bit with the founder hat on. It's a similar experience on that side. So like in terms of the conversations that you're having, like before we jump into the topic du jour, what kind of security challenges are you seeing C and infrastructure folk face like now in this moment? Because obviously they're always changing. There's some things that change and other things that stay the same. Like what's kind of bubbling to the top at the moment?

B (2:09)

You know that that is an interesting question. I think it kind of depends on each CISO and who you talk to. In each industry, I don't think there's a perfect scenario and perfect question. One topic I always say I talk about is the impact of artificial intelligence. Like we're going to be talking about on this call, like how is that going to be impacting? That could be personnel, it could be how do we train and advise and how do we educate users. I just saw a phenomenal video this of Google's new AI technology showing how an interview just like this could be all faked with AI. And it's amazing how deepfakes are becoming a common trend. So deepfakes, common trends, common current, current challenges is usually the CISO conversation. But for me, obviously I get put into that micro segmentation conversation more often because of where I'm sitting. And usually those are customers facing either penetration testing, how to solve it and dealing with real world scenarios, or it could be even meeting compliance and regulations for their current either insurance standards that they're looking at or just to meet their customer standards and they look at us to see can we solve that problem for them today. So I would say that's kind of where I would fit into the CISO conversations based on our product knowledge.