Back to School, Back to Basics: AI, Coding, and Security Fundamentals

Conor Sherman and Stuart Mitchell dive into the intersection of AI, coding, security, and leadership. They discuss the “September Surge” in hiring, the evolving role of AI in software development, and the critical need for strong security fundamentals as organizations accelerate their adoption of AI technologies. The conversation covers the risks and rewards of AI-driven coding, the responsibilities of security teams, and the importance of leadership and organizational change in navigating this new landscape.

Key Topics Covered

• The “back to school” energy in the hiring market and what it means for tech teams
• How AI is shifting from an option to a directive in technology strategy
• Balancing speed and security: the risks of increased code output from AI assistants
• The fundamentals of security and why they matter more than ever
• The human element in AI leadership and organizational change
• Real-world risks: prompt injection, agentic browsers, and exposed LLM servers
• Adapting security controls for AI with frameworks like NIST’s COSAIS

Featured Links & Resources

4x Velocity, 10x Vulnerabilities: AI Coding Assistants Are Shipping More Risks: Read the Apiiro blog

Sysdig 2025 Cloud-Native Security Report. Read the Sysdig report

Cisco: Detecting Exposed LLM Servers (Ollama/Shodan Study). Read the Cisco blog

Brave Research: Indirect Prompt Injection in Perplexity Comet: Read the Brave blog

NIST CSRC: Control Overlays for Securing AI Systems (COSAIS) – Concept Paper: Read the NIST concept paper