Why it matters: For years, cybersecurity vendors have promised that AI-enabled tools would one day help companies predict attacks and automatically patch new security flaws.
The big picture: Most successful cyberattacks continue to target human error, such as not patching a security flaw quickly enough or failing to detect hackers posing as legitimate employees as they exfiltrate hundreds of files.
Between the lines: Most security teams are burnt out and overburdened with hundreds of notifications each day detailing new threats to their online systems.
Zoom in: Trend Micro started embedding its AI brain into its security suite in October, Rachel Jin, the company's chief enterprise platform officer, told Axios.
The intrigue: The AI brain is what powers Trend Micro's new autonomous cybersecurity agent, which completes tasks for users without much, if any, prompting.
Trend Micro sees a few use cases for the new brain:
Yes, but: Most customers appear to still be using the tools mostly as an assistant that helps them prioritize their workflows.
Zoom out: Trend Micro is one of the first companies to roll out a cybersecurity AI agent to customers -- and it surely won't be the last.
What's next: Trend Micro is exploring creating an AI-focused product package that would give customers access to a "more advanced workflow" and offset increased cloud computing costs.