EAGER: NAIRR Pilot Expansion: FA1: AI Horizon: Forecasting Cybersecurity Workforce Evolution and Adaptive Skill Development

The integration of AI into cybersecurity represents a fundamental transformation occurring at extraordinary speed. AI Horizon addresses the critical gap between rapid technological evolution and educational adaptation through a novel forecasting framework. This initiative will predict which cybersecurity tasks will be augmented by AI, replaced by AI, or remain human-driven, enabling educators to adapt curriculum with unprecedented agility.

AI Horizon advances knowledge through a data-driven forecasting framework that systematically maps AI's transformation of cybersecurity domains and a novel three-committee implementation model that rapidly translates workforce insights into educational strategies.

This project uses resources provided through the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot and implements innovative mechanisms for integrating NAIRR resources into cybersecurity research and education. By leveraging NAIRR pilot resources, AI Horizon addresses a critical national security imperative by creating a direct connection between emerging AI capabilities, cybersecurity research needs, and educational practices.

The project will train about 1000 faculty members and 1000 students across 470 institutions. As a part of this project, researchers and educators will work together to identify cybersecurity tasks that can be replaced or augmented by AI, disseminate this knowledge at workshops and online training, and guide participants in requesting and using NAIRR resources to implement cybersecurity tasks that replace or augment human actions.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.