Bottom line: The effectiveness of human-AI teams is still unclear, with human teams out-solving AI agents in 17 of the 25 top finishers at the 2026 Global Cyber Skills Benchmark.
What's happening: Top-ranked teams in the 2026 Global Cyber Skills Benchmark, such as those from the US and UK, used AI agents to gain an advantage, with 17 of the top 25 finishers employing AI agents. Notably, teams from the US, UK, and Canada brought their own AI agents to compete, out-solving the agents in the process.
What to do: CISOs and security leaders should prioritize human-AI team development, investing in training and education programs to enhance the skills of their teams and stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape. --- Rewritten executive briefing The best human hackers still out-solved the best AI team The 2026 Global Cyber Skills Benchmark found AI agents in 17 of the Top 25 finishers, but human teams with AI agents out-solved them.
Bottom line: Human teams out-solved AI agents in 17 of the 25 top finishers at the 2026 Global Cyber Skills Benchmark, despite AI agents' presence.
What's happening: The 2026 Global Cyber Skills Benchmark saw 17 top finishers, including teams from the US, UK, and Canada, employ AI agents to gain an advantage. The UK-based Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) used AI agents to support their team, while US-based teams from the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) employed AI agents to aid their efforts.
What to do: CISOs and security leaders should prioritize human-AI team development, investing in training and education programs to enhance the skills of their teams and stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape, such as those offered by the SANS Institute and the (ISC)^2 certification program.