Training Humans and AI Agents: The Next Frontier of Cyber Readiness

Cybersecurity operations are undergoing a fundamental transformation. Security teams are no longer defending their organizations alone.

Increasingly, they are working alongside AI copilots, automation platforms, and autonomous security agents that assist with detection, investigation, and response.

This shift is redefining how security teams operate — and how they must train. According to The Forrester Wave™: Cybersecurity Skills And Training Platforms, Q1 2026, AI-augmented systems are reshaping how cybersecurity work gets done.

But while organizations are racing to deploy AI in security operations, many have not yet answered a critical question: How do you validate that these AI-assisted systems actually work during real incidents?

The Rise of AI-Augmented Security Operations

Security operations centers are becoming increasingly automated. Modern SOCs rely on:

• AI agents that assist analysts with investigations
• Automation platforms that orchestrate response workflows
• AI-driven detection systems that analyze massive data sets
• Emerging autonomous agents that execute security actions

These technologies promise significant gains in efficiency and response speed.

But they also introduce new risks. AI-generated outputs must be evaluated for accuracy. Automated workflows must behave correctly under pressure. And analysts must learn how to collaborate effectively with AI systems.

Forrester’s evaluation notes that organizations need training that “prepares practitioners to work alongside and evaluate AI-generated outputs for accuracy.” This means training programs must evolve to teach security how to operate alongside AI agents.

Budget Pressures Are Reshaping Security Investments

At the same time that AI is transforming cybersecurity operations, security leaders are facing tighter budgets.

Many organizations are reducing or scrutinizing traditional training spending as they prioritize investments in emerging technologies.

Meanwhile, AI security has become a top strategic priority. Security leaders must now allocate budget toward:

• AI governance and risk management
• AI-enabled security tools
• Defenses against AI-powered attacks
• Validation of AI-assisted workflows

In this environment, organizations are increasingly prioritizing investments that demonstrate measurable readiness and operational value.

Forrester’s report states that, “Cybersecurity skills and training (CS&T) platforms enable measurable performance, team‑based coordination under pressure, and adaptive learning tied to business‑critical cyber-resilience objectives.” Security leaders are reallocating budgets toward solutions that prove operational readiness, including readiness for AI-driven environments.

Why AI Security Requires Proving Grounds

Unlike traditional security tools, AI systems introduce unpredictable behavior. An AI agent may:

• Recommend incorrect remediation steps
• Misinterpret threat signals
• Escalate incidents incorrectly
• Trigger automated responses at the wrong time

Organizations cannot safely test these scenarios in production environments.

Instead, they need controlled environments where they can simulate incidents and observe how AI systems behave. This requires infrastructure capable of testing:

• AI-assisted investigations
• Automated response workflows
• Human-AI collaboration
• Agent behavior under attack conditions

In other words, organizations need AI Proving Grounds.

SimSpace and Agentic AI Readiness

The Forrester Wave™ evaluation notes that SimSpace “excels in agentic AI readiness, enabling organizations to test AI-assisted workflows and agent behavior.”

SimSpace’s cyber ranges replicate full enterprise environments and allow organizations to simulate real-world attacks in isolated infrastructure. This allows security teams to safely test:

• How analysts interact with AI copilots
• How automated systems respond to incidents
• How AI agents behave during complex attack scenarios

SimSpace’s roadmap also includes innovations such as:

• AI-assisted scoring
• Adaptive mission orchestration
• AI-driven scenario generation and benchmarking.

These capabilities allow organizations to prepare for a future where humans and AI defend together.

Read the whitepaper Architecting Agentic Cyber Defense: Training AI Agents to Defend Preemptively.

The Next Evolution of Cyber Readiness

The cybersecurity workforce of the future will look very different from today’s teams. Instead of human-only defenders, organizations will rely on hybrid security teams composed of analysts, automation systems, and AI agents.

Training programs must evolve to reflect that reality. Security leaders must ensure that both humans and AI systems are prepared to operate together during incidents. Platforms that allow organizations to train, test, and validate AI-augmented security operations will define the next generation of cyber readiness.

Because in the age of AI-driven security, readiness isn’t just about training people. It’s about proving that the entire human-AI system works when it matters most.

Get your complimentary copy of The Forrester Wave™: Cybersecurity Skills And Training Platforms, Q1 2026.

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