Where to Start: Problem, Context, and Skills

Thinking of building your own AI security tool? In this episode, Santiago Castiñeira, CTO of Maze, breaks down the realities of the "Build vs. Buy" debate for AI-first vulnerability management.

While building a prototype script is easy, scaling it into a maintainable, audit-proof system is a massive undertaking requiring specialized skills often missing in security teams. The "RAG drug" relies too heavily on Retrieval-Augmented Generation for precise technical data like version numbers, which often fails .

The conversation gets into the architecture required for a true AI-first system, moving beyond simple chatbots to complex multi-agent workflows that can reason about context and risk . We also cover the critical importance of rigorous "evals" over "vibe checks" to ensure AI reliability, the hidden costs of LLM inference at scale, and why well-crafted agents might soon be indistinguishable from super-intelligence .

Guest Socials -⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Santiago's Linkedin

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Questions asked:

(00:00) Introduction(02:00) Who is Santiago Castiñeira?(02:40) What is "AI-First" Vulnerability Management? (Rules vs. Reasoning)(04:55) The "Build vs. Buy" Debate: Can I Just Use ChatGPT?(07:30) The "Bus Factor" Risk of Internal Tools(08:30) Why MCP (Model Context Protocol) Struggles at Scale(10:15) The Architecture of an AI-First Security System(13:45) The Problem with "Vibe Checks": Why You Need Proper Evals(17:20) Where to Start if You Must Build Internally(19:00) The Hidden Need for Data & Software Engineers in Security Teams(21:50) Managing Prompt Drift and Consistency(27:30) The Challenge of Changing LLM Models (Claude vs. Gemini)(30:20) Rethinking Vulnerability Management Metrics in the AI Era(33:30) Surprises in AI Agent Behavior: "Let's Get Back on Topic"(35:30) The Hidden Cost of AI: Token Usage at Scale(37:15) Multi-Agent Governance: Preventing Rogue Agents(41:15) The Future: Semi-Autonomous Security Fleets(45:30) Why RAG Fails for Precise Technical Data (The "RAG Drug")(47:30) How to Evaluate AI Vendors: Is it AI-First or AI-Sprinkled?(50:20) Common Architectural Mistakes: Vibe Evals & Cost Ignorance(56:00) Unpopular Opinion: Well-Crafted Agents vs. Super Intelligence(58:15) Final Questions: Kids, Argentine Steak, and Closing