Autonomous AI agents to close cyber skills gap: Palo Alto

Palo Alto Networks has released “6 Predictions for the AI Economy: 2026’s New Rules of Cybersecurity,” forecasting a transformative leap to the AI economy. This new AI-native global economic model, where AI drives productivity and operations, also introduces a seismic shift in risk. In 2026, autonomous AI agents will fundamentally redefine enterprise operations, setting the stage for major changes in identity, the security operations center (SOC), quantum computing, data security and the browser.

Palo Alto Networks has forecast 2025 as the Year of Disruption based on the rise in mega breaches that take entire enterprise networks offline — driven by supply chain vulnerabilities and attackers reaching new levels of speed and sophistication. This has since been proven true, as 84% of the major cyber incidents that Unit 42® investigated this year have resulted in operational downtime, reputational damage or financial loss.

In 2026, we will enter into ...