Why cybersecurity teams are struggling to keep up with AI adoption

Fortinet’s Robert May explores the pressures defining cybersecurity in the AI era.

Companies and employees alike are adopting AI tools faster than ever, leaving security teams scrambling to understand what is actually running across their own environment

Robert May works on the systems meant to secure that movement of data. As Executive Vice President of Technology and Product Management at global cybersecurity company Fortinet, May oversees the Fortinet Security Fabric platform used by organizations to monitor network activity, identify and mitigate threats, and coordinate incident response.

During a recent keynote address at Fortinet’s TechExpo26 event in Montréal, May explored how AI is quickly reshaping cybersecurity by changing the kinds of data organizations need to protect and the systems used to secure it. He believes many companies today “don’t even know the problem that they’re dealing with.”

“This is something we hear about in every customer meeting,” May told BetaKit. “Two years ago, people were just playing around with ChatGPT, but now there are thousands of tools, and [businesses] don’t know which ones their employees are using.”

At the same time, AI tools are entering workflows with very little friction. A 2025 study from McKinsey found that all survey respondents were using AI in some fashion. But Fortinet’s 2026 Cybersecurity Skills Gap Global Research Report notes that only half of surveyed leaders believe their board members are “fully aware” of potential risks from AI use.

According to May, this is leaving security teams reacting to how AI is already being used, rather than setting the terms for its use in advance.

The risk, May said, is twofold. AI tools are now touching companies’ most sensitive and valuable data, which means where that data goes and who can access it matters in a very immediate way. The reality that teams are short-staffed and unable…

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