AI Battle Royale: Dave Kennedy vs. John Strand | Moderated by Ed Skoudis

Original author：Wild West Hackin' Fest

Original source：https://www.youtube.com/embed/U7pcmDtAn9o

Who benefits more from AI: attackers or defenders? Two cybersecurity heavyweights. One explosive debate. And a question that could define the future of cybersecurity. Recorded live in Deadwood, SD at Wild West Hackin’ Fest, Dave Kennedy and John Strand go head-to-head in AI Battle Royale, moderated by cybersecurity expert, Ed Skoudis. Will artificial intelligence finally give defenders the advantage they’ve been waiting for? Or will AI supercharge attackers, accelerate exploitation, and make an already difficult security landscape even more dangerous? John argues that AI is accelerating attacks, expanding the attack surface, and creating security challenges that defenders aren’t prepared to handle. Dave counters that AI offers unprecedented opportunities for defenders to automate security operations, improve detection, and respond to threats faster than ever before. With Ed Skoudis keeping the debate moving, the conversation tackles AI-powered attacks, vibe coding, security automation, deception, the future of SOC analysts, and whether organizations can realistically keep pace with AI-driven threats. The debate heats up as audience members challenge both speakers on the speed of AI-powered attacks, accountability for insecure AI-generated code, and the future of cybersecurity. Expect strong opinions, real-world examples, plenty of disagreement, and a few laughs along the way. 👇 Join the debate: Who do you think benefits more from AI—attackers or defenders? Let us know in the comments! CHAPTERS 00:00 – Welcome to AI Battle Royale | Ed Skoudis 03:40 – The Debate: Attackers vs. Defenders 05:05 – John Strand: Why AI Favors Attackers 07:24 – Dave Kennedy: Why AI Empowers Defenders 10:08 – AI, Vibe Coding, and the Growing Attack Surface 16:20 – AI, Cybersecurity Jobs, and the Future of SOC Analysts 22:45 – Audience Q&A: Can Defenders Catch Up? 26:59 – Who’s Responsible for Insecure AI-Generated Code? 31:10 – Can Defenders Keep Up with AI-Powered Attacks? 41:32 – What Are We Actually Defending? 44:47 – Closing Arguments: Who Wins the AI Battle Royale? ABOUT WILD WEST HACKIN’ FEST Wild West Hackin’ Fest brings together cybersecurity professionals, researchers, hackers, and industry leaders for hands-on learning, technical talks, and conversations about the challenges facing information security. Learn more: https://wildwesthackinfest.com/ EXPLORE MORE CYBERSECURITY TRAINING https://www.antisyphontraining.com/ #Cybersecurity #ArtificialIntelligence #AISecurity #WildWestHackinFest #ethicalhacking ---------------- ///Black Hills Infosec Socials Twitter: https://twitter.com/BHinfoSecurity Mastodon: https://infosec.exchange/@blackhillsinfosec LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/antisyphon-training Discord: https://discord.gg/ffzdt3WUDe ///Black Hills Infosec Shirts & Hoodies https://spearphish-general-store.myshopify.com/collections/bhis-shirt-collections ///Black Hills Infosec Services Active SOC: https://www.blackhillsinfosec.com/services/active-soc/ Penetration Testing: https://www.blackhillsinfosec.com/services/ Incident Response: https://www.blackhillsinfosec.com/services/incident-response/ ///Backdoors & Breaches - Incident Response Card Game Backdoors & Breaches: https://www.backdoorsandbreaches.com/ Play B&B Online: https://play.backdoorsandbreaches.com/ ///Antisyphon Training Pay What You Can: https://www.antisyphontraining.com/pay-what-you-can/ Live Training: https://www.antisyphontraining.com/course-catalog/ On Demand Training: https://www.antisyphontraining.com/on-demand-course-catalog/ Antisyphon Discord: https://discord.gg/antisyphon Antisyphon Mastodon: https://infosec.exchange/@Antisy_Training ///Educational Infosec Content Black Hills Infosec Blogs: https://www.blackhillsinfosec.com/blog/ Wild West Hackin' Fest YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/wildwesthackinfest Antisyphon Training YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/antisyphontraining Active Countermeasures YouTube: https://youtube.com/activecountermeasures Threat Hunter Community Discord: https://discord.gg/threathunter Join us at the annual information security conference in Deadwood, SD (in-person and virtually) — Wild West Hackin' Fest: https://wildwesthackinfest.com/