[ad_1]
MURRAY – Murray State University’s annual Patterns of Distinction Security Matters Conference covered a large array of topics Thursday, kicking off with an extended discussion of how the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence industry is changing the way cybersecurity professionals – and the public workforce in general – do their jobs.
The free annual conference is sponsored by Community Financial Services Bank (CFSB), and Vice President/Information Security Officer Taylor Hicks welcomed attendees at the beginning of the day. The Program of Distinction in Cybersecurity and Network Management and CFSB began hosting the conference in 2007 to create the largest technology security conference in the region, the event website said. The conference offers small business and security gurus the opportunity to hear from industry individuals about a variety of issues and topics. The conference is a one-day event held at Murray State University’s Curris Center.
The morning’s first speaker was Empath Cyber co-founder Wes Spencer, who currently lives in Tampa, Florida, but earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Murray State in 2004 and 2008, respectively. In a presentation titled “The Great AI Reset,” Spencer said AI is not a passing trend, but instead characterized it as a transformative force comparable to electricity or the Industrial Revolution.
“Please don’t look at it like it’s a trend,” Spencer said. “Technologies come, technologies go, but we also have certain things that kind of come into our world that tend to be quite persistent.”
Spencer argued that modern generative AI tools may feel sudden, but are the result of decades of foundational research.
“It feels like magic to us, because we all had that moment where someone told us how cool ChatGPT was,” he said. “We logged into it, we just talked to it, and it talked to us back, and that was fascinating and mind-blowing. So our feeling is that this just – boom! – came out of nowhere, and it’s almost like alien magic code that descended upon us. But the reality is, this is foundational work that’s been building for decades to get us to where we’re at today.”
Spencer described the current moment as part of a broader pattern seen in history, where major innovations reshape economies and societies over long periods. Using examples such as mechanization, electricity, factory automation and the invention of steel, he referred to these technological shifts that fundamentally change society as a “supercycle.”
“If you’ve never seen or heard of a supercycle … more than anything, it’s just a period of prolonged, usually decades-long, series of continued innovation in a certain area, where something kind of tips the needle, and then we see continued growth and continued market changes,” Spencer said. “And with those market changes, you’re going to see effects (like) disruptions in the economy. You’re going to see questions in the job market. You’re going to see a lot of trepidation (about) what’s happening.”
While acknowledging concerns about job loss, Spencer pushed back on the idea that AI will eliminate widespread employment. He compared the coming change to historical examples like the disappearance of elevator operators, arguing that technological change often shifts workers into new roles rather than eliminating them entirely.
“If it punishes anything, it’s actually not labor as much as it challenges complacency,” he said.
Spencer also referenced the concept of the Jevons paradox, suggesting increased efficiency can drive greater demand and job growth.
“The more efficient we get because of automation, because of AI, it actually creates, paradoxically, more jobs,” he said.
At the same time, Spencer warned of risks tied to rapidly advancing AI tools, particularly autonomous “agent” systems capable of performing complex tasks. He cautioned against deploying such tools in enterprise environments without safeguards.
“Please hear me. I beg of you, do not connect it to your corporate systems,” he said, citing security vulnerabilities.
Spencer also criticized hype within the AI industry, including what he described as “fear-based marketing” and speculative investment behavior. Comparing the corporate rush to weave AI into everything to the dot-com boom and bust of the 1990s, he said he thinks there are “absolutely elements of a bubble, for sure.” Even so, he maintained that core technologies are likely to endure.
Looking ahead, Spencer emphasized the physical demands of AI infrastructure, including energy consumption and data center expansion.
“We do not have enough power, and we do not have enough chip capacity to support where this economy is going,” he said, adding that future growth may shift toward rural areas. Despite uncertainties, Spencer encouraged students to actively engage with AI tools.
“The literal, only way to get better at this stuff is to try to use it,” he said. “If you’re not doing that, you’re not going to learn.”
Bill DeLong, senior associate with the information technology compliance company Schellman, spoke on Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), a Department of Defense (DoD) program designed to protect sensitive but unclassified information shared with contractors. He said the program exists because cyber threats, especially from foreign adversaries, actively target defense contractors.
DeLong noted that CMMC is mandatory, and the risks of non-compliance not only can result in companies having their DoD contracts terminated, but can also lead to potential legal penalties, including prosecution for fraud. He said this standard applies not just to prime contractors, but also subcontractors.
Compliance with CMMC can take 12-24 months, and costs range from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars, DeLong said. The cost and complexity is especially challenging for small businesses, but he said it is essential for protecting sensitive defense information and maintaining eligibility for government contracts.
Dr. Michael Ramage, director of MSU’s Cyber Education and Research Center, delivered a presentation called “Built on Distinction and Excellence: Designing the Future of Cybersecurity at Murray State.” In Kentucky’s last biennial budget in 2024, the center received a $10 million appropriation to renovate the cybersecurity space on the second floor of the Martha Layne Collins Center for Industry and Technology, and Ramage said the funding will mean a giant leap forward for the Cybersecurity and Network Management program.
“We actually met for the beginning of the bid process Wednesday,” Ramage said. “This summer will be Phase 1, during the school year will be phase 2, and then next summer, Phase 3 will finish that renovation. It’s allowing us to reimagine our cyber program. Curriculum is not necessarily changing, but all the lab spaces are becoming modernized. The building was built in the ‘80s, so the lab spaces where our program is (located) were designed for electrical engineering technology. We’re not (involved in) that anymore, and we haven’t been since the late ‘90s, but we’re still using those labs. This is the first time in our almost 30-year history that we will be able to reimagine what these spaces look like, so it’s really exciting.”
Two employees from the FBI’s Louisville Field Office also spoke at the conference, including task force officer Grant Riggs and Andrew Coyle. Coyle is the private sector coordinator for InfraGard, an FBI community outreach program to partner with businesses on cybersecurity issues. Drew Perry, vice president of information technology and cybersecurity for Ramaco Resources, delivered the keynote address at the 17th annual “Patterns of Distinction” Cyber Awards Luncheon.
[ad_2]
Click Here For The Original Source.
