AI Forces CISOs to Rebuild Defense Playbooks

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning , Events , Next-Generation Technologies & Secure Development AI Forces CISOs to Rebuild Defense Playbooks Francis deSouza of Google Cloud on Fighting AI-Driven Threats With AI Anna Delaney (annamadeline) • March 24, 2026     Share Post Share Credit Eligible Get Permission Francis deSouza, chief operating officer and president, security products, Google Cloud Artificial intelligence has pushed cybersecurity leaders into a new era of defense, where attackers move faster, attack surfaces expand and regulators demand greater accountability. CISOs must rebuild their playbooks for a threat landscape shaped by AI agents, new attack techniques and growing data risk, said Francis deSouza, chief operating officer and president, security products, Google Cloud. See Also: Redefining Pen Testing for the Agentic Enterprise That transition has changed the security operating model itself. Human-led defense no longer keeps pace with AI-driven attacks, deSouza said. "CISOs are bringing in AI tools, they are re-skilling their teams to make sure they're fluent on AI and that we're using AI-driven workflows and agents to be able to identify attacks more quickly and respond way more quickly than we ever have," he said. In this video interview with Information Security Media Group at RSAC Conference 2026, deSouza also discussed: AI agents for alert triage, vulnerability scanning and automated remediation; Shadow AI risk, software supply chain exposure and post-quantum readiness; Governance, visibility and auditability across AI infrastructure. deSouza leads strategic operations to scale Google Cloud for the next wave of growth through differentiated technologies, strategies, policies, processes and systems. Prior to Google, he was the CEO of Illumina, where he led growth and innovation in DNA sequencing. He also co-founded three companies: SynthLabs, IMlogic and Flash Communications.