Survey Finds 45% of Cybersecurity Leaders Work a “Sixth Day” as AI Redefines Their Role

Workforce report reveals AI is expanding responsibilities, increasing burnout, and shifting cyber leadership requirements

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cybersecurity leaders are working the equivalent of a six-day workweek while absorbing fundamentally new responsibilities, according to new research from Seemplicity. The newly released State of the Cybersecurity Workforce Report gathered insights from U.S.-based cybersecurity leaders and found that nearly half work 11 or more extra hours per week, with one-in-five logging 16 or more additional hours.

Beyond revealing a hyper-committed workforce, the survey suggests that AI is fundamentally reshaping what cybersecurity leadership requires: elevating judgment, communication, and business alignment above traditional technical skills.

Key findings from the report include:

• 45% of cybersecurity leaders work 11+ extra hours per week and 20% work an additional 16+ hours weekly.
• 44% say their role feels emotionally exhausting more often than rewarding. Yet, 94% would still choose cybersecurity as a career.
• 73% say AI oversight and governance is the most important future capability, outranking technical expertise (68%).
• 89% of cyber leaders say their position now requires significant cross-functional collaboration and business alignment, while 85% feel pressure to strengthen communication and business skills because of AI.
• 82% say people skills are more central to cybersecurity leadership than five years ago.
• 64% report sufficient budget for AI, but 52% say training for human-AI collaboration is limited or insufficient.

AI Shifts Cyber Leadership from Execution to Governance

As AI takes over more of the technical execution, cybersecurity leadership roles are shifting toward oversight, decision-making, and accountability.

The survey shows AI governance now outranks traditional technical expertise as the defining capability of modern cyber leadership. At the same time, leaders report growing expectations to collaborate across the business and translate technical risk into executive decisions.

The data points to a fundamental role transformation: cybersecurity leaders are becoming risk governors, responsible not just for detecting threats, but for interpreting AI-driven outputs and owning the outcomes those systems produce.

“We’re watching the cybersecurity workforce hit an inflection point,” said Yoran Sirkis, CEO of Seemplicity. “For years, the industry tried to solve every problem by adding more tools, more alerts, and more people. AI is changing that model. It’s forcing a shift toward smarter prioritization, clearer ownership, and leaders who can translate technical risk into business decisions. The organizations that thrive will be the ones that redesign the role around outcomes, not just activity.”

Investment Without Enablement Creates an Execution Gap

Companies are pouring money into AI tools, but many aren’t investing in the people who have to manage them.

The findings reveal a growing execution gap: organizations are deploying AI capabilities faster than they can govern, explain, or effectively use them. Many organizations are equating AI investment with AI readiness, even as leaders report limited training for human-AI collaboration.

Without equal investment in human proficiency, leaders may see rising decision debt and operational friction instead of the promised efficiency of automation.

Burned Out, Still All In: The Commitment Paradox

Despite significant workload and emotional strain, cybersecurity leaders remain deeply committed to the profession.

The research reveals a workforce that feels stretched thin and under constant pressure, yet overwhelmingly dedicated to its mission. Many leaders report difficulty stepping away from the role, as operational demands and accountability continue to rise.

“This isn’t a talent retention story. It’s a system failure,” said Ravid Circus, Chief Product Officer at Seemplicity. “The people aren’t leaving, but the system is breaking around them. Burnout has little to do with resilience problems and usually comes down to an operational failure. Until organizations hardwire ownership, automate prioritization, and reduce the daily judgment load placed on security leaders, they’re not managing exposure; they’re relying on exhausted humans to hold the system together.”

Read the full report here: https://seemplicity.io/?post_type=papers&p=9010&preview=true

Research Methodology

Seemplicity’s State of the Cybersecurity Workforce Report was conducted by Sapio Research during January 2026. The survey gathered insights from 300 U.S.-based cybersecurity leaders across multiple industries to understand how AI adoption is reshaping workforce dynamics, leadership expectations, and operational readiness.

About Seemplicity

Seemplicity is your agentic Exposure Action Platform that closes the gap between findings and fixing. Our AI agents are the first to proactively analyze business risk while applying automation to the aggregation, prioritization and remediation of exposure management. Only Seemplicity turns the overwhelming into clear, accountable tasks so you can reduce your exposure faster, with less effort and greater confidence. Learn more at seemplicity.io.