In recent years, we've seen a lot of cybersecurity professionals turn to AI-powered tools, automation, and instant digital resources to manage complexity. However, recent research shows these conveniences carry hidden cognitive costs, weakening our critical thinking and analytical abilities - a phenomenon known as "cognitive offloading". In cybersecurity, these cognitive shortcuts significantly raise risks, from overlooked threats to mismanaged incidents.

This session explores how AI and technology directly impact the way we think and learn, diminishing essential analytical skills. We'll look at how reliance on AI-driven tools fosters complacency, diminishes attention to detail, and increases susceptibility to biases such as automation trust and alert fatigue.

You'll leave with practical strategies for rebuilding and protecting your critical thinking and analytical abilities, empowering you to maintain cognitive discipline, sharpen your professional judgment, and reduce risk - even as technology grows smarter. Maybe even smarter than you.