AI & the Fifth Domain of Warfare: A Talk with Eyal Balicer, Cybersecurity Innovator & Thought Leader

AI & the Fifth Domain of Warfare: A Talk with Eyal Balicer, Cybersecurity Innovator & Thought Leader

By Michael Matias, CEO of Clarity and Forbes 30 Under 30 alumCybersecurity has entered a new domain—literally. As Eyal Balicer put it in our recent conversation: “Cyberspace is now the fifth domain of warfare.” But in this domain, the battleground isn’t just code. It’s control.Eyal brings a rare vantage point to the AI-cyber nexus—he’s held senior cybersecurity roles in the Israeli government, Fortune 100 companies like Citi, and top-tier venture capital. Our discussion centered on a growing truth: with the rise of agentic systems—AI entities that can act, decide, and evolve—the mission of cybersecurity is changing.“We are shifting from a world where intelligence was a scarce resource to one where that is not necessarily the case; true agency is becoming the new elusive driver of prosperity and growth,” Eyal explained. “The systems we are now securing are not just automated—they are autonomous, highly competent, and opaque. Traditional defenses cannot keep up.”It’s a shift I’ve seen firsthand at Clarity, where we build proactive defenses against deepfakes and AI-generated phishing. Just like Shahar Peled told me about agentic AI revolutionizing offensive testing, Eyal sees these agents redefining global threat models. The challenge isn’t identifying known threats—it’s safeguarding systems that learn, adapt, and act independently.And that requires a new security architecture.“An AI agent can have fluid permissions, context-based roles, and evolving identity,” he told me. “Conventional IAM just does not cut it anymore.” In that sense, Balicer echoes voices like Ron Nissim and Alon Jackson, who both called for a redefinition of identity management in the AI age.But Eyal's view goes broader: geopolitical. He sees cybersecurity not just as a business enabler, but as a pillar of national resilience. From financial systems to defense infrastructure, the stakes have never been higher. “The future will require autonomous cybersecurity—not just automated, pre-defined playbooks, but real-time, adaptive agents who reason and defend at the edge, with varying degrees of human intervention.”We discussed how the regulatory map only adds to the complexity. “The fragmentation across jurisdictions makes cross-border cybersecurity brittle,” Eyal warned. His point was clear: the only viable strategy is proactive, agentic, adaptable security. Not static controls. Not red-alert dashboards.The recent acquisition of Wiz by Google, he said, is just the beginning. “This will eventually lead to an entrepreneurial Cambrian explosion in cybersecurity,” Eyal predicted. And much like Dorit Dor told me, the organizations that survive will be those that move fast—and let AI lead the charge.As we closed, his advice was blunt: “Ignoring this revolution is not an option. AI evolves daily. Your security safeguards and controls should not lag behind.”My takeaway? Eyal isn’t just talking about new tools—he’s laying out a new doctrine.Agentic AI isn’t coming. It’s here. And if we don’t secure it now, we risk losing control of the systems that already make decisions for us.The future of cyber isn’t just proactive. It’s autonomous. And it’s already reshaping the balance of power.

Episoder(1165)

Ep891: Phillip Kane | CEO & Managing Partner, Grace Ocean, llc Advisors

Ep891: Phillip Kane | CEO & Managing Partner, Grace Ocean, llc Advisors

Phillip Kane is a husband, father, and businessman. He has had a successful career in some of the world’s best-known corporations. Working for brands like Goodyear, Pirelli, and NAPA, Kane has had the privilege to lead thousands of individuals and has managed billions of dollars in value for stakeholders. Crediting his father, a Polish sales manager, and a Nigerian priest with almost every good thing he has learned about life, leadership, business and the art of storytelling, Kane proved for 30 years that the need to choose between winning and caring for others is a myth. Kane lives in Ohio with his wife, three children, and four wonderdogs. The Not So Subtle Art of Caring is his first book.

22 Aug 202222min

Ep890: Joe Casey | Executive Coach, PEC and Managing Partner, Retirement Wisdom

Ep890: Joe Casey | Executive Coach, PEC and Managing Partner, Retirement Wisdom

Joe Casey is the Managing Partner of Retirement Wisdom and the author of Win the Retirement Game launching on August 9th. Joe’s an executive coach who also helps people create meaningful lives after their primary careers. He works with people - who aren’t done yet – to figure out What’s Next? It’s not theoretical for Joe. He’s done this himself, becoming a coach 13 years ago after a 26-year career at Merrill Lynch, where he was Senior Vice President & Head of HR for Global Markets & Investment Banking. Business Insider named Joe as one of 23 innovative coaches who are making a difference.

21 Aug 202221min

Ep889: Ronny Schwartz-Dgani | Co - Founder & CMO, Expecting

Ep889: Ronny Schwartz-Dgani | Co - Founder & CMO, Expecting

Ronny Schwartz-Dgani is the co-founder and CMO of expecting.ai - a full stack marketer with 15 years experience In marketing, brand building and CRO in enterprise and startup environments spanning across various industries such as online-marketplace, automotive, retail and more. Ronny leads brand and product strategy and seeks to combine traditional marketing concepts alongside generating a transformation in customer engagement achieved with data-driven marketing methods. Ronny has a masters degree in communication and management from Tel Aviv University, she started her career at Adler Chomski/ Grey, one of Israel’s largest advertising agencies managing global accounts and then switched to the client side as the head of marketing for Switch, the online marketplace startup by Colmobil Corp. Following her startup experience, Ronny led Hyundai’s marketing in Israel where she initiated a digital transformation across the distribution chain, transforming the brand to a data-driven operation.

19 Aug 202222min

Ep888: Michael Reddington | President, InQuasive, Inc.

Ep888: Michael Reddington | President, InQuasive, Inc.

Michael Reddington, CFI is a certified forensic interviewer and president of InQuasive, Inc., which integrates key components of effective non-confrontational interview techniques with current business research for executives. In his new book, The Disciplined Listening Method: How a Certified Forensic Interviewer Unlocks Hidden Value in Every Conversation (Per Capita Publishing, March 2021), Reddington draws on his background in forensics and his understanding of human behavior through interrogation to teach readers how to improve their listening, communication and relationship-building skills—and how to use the truth to their advantage.

18 Aug 202222min

Ep887: Asaf Shamly | Co-founder & CEO, Browsi

Ep887: Asaf Shamly | Co-founder & CEO, Browsi

I’m a results-driven Product Director with an agile approach to developing, delivering, and marketing amazing products. With a technical background and passion for cutting-edge technology, I can lead a startup company to a winning product. Direct and immediate relations with clients enabled me to conceive ideas and new products to provide better value to clients and create new and winning products and features to generate new revenue streams and a better world. Fields of expertise: SaaS, B2B, Web, Ad tech, Publishers and Advertising strategies, Agile development of data-driven products.

17 Aug 202220min

Ep886: Alon Gilady | Co-Founder & CEO, Renovai

Ep886: Alon Gilady | Co-Founder & CEO, Renovai

Alon Gilady graduated with a BA in economics and philosophy from TAU, a serial entrepreneur based in Tel Aviv. During his last year at university, Alon founded a start-up company in the sports & entertainment collectibles industry. Alon signed big licensing deals with notable brands such as FC Barcelona and Man. City, NBA, WWE, and Disney, selling over 1.5M units through major retailers in Europe and the USA. In 2017 he co-founded a 3D-rendering studio creating virtual reality experiences for architects and interior designers. From the knowledge and experience gained in this venture, the idea of renovai was born with an ambitious mission: to empower online retailers with AI to make professional design and stylist services affordable and accessible for all.

16 Aug 202221min

Ep885: Matt Darrow | CEO & Co-Founder, Vivun

Ep885: Matt Darrow | CEO & Co-Founder, Vivun

Matt's an enterprise software leader with experience growing businesses, building global teams, and delivering products. Before founding Vivun, he worked at Zuora, BigMachines, and Deloitte.

15 Aug 202222min

Ep884: Manik Suri | Founder and CEO, Therma

Ep884: Manik Suri | Founder and CEO, Therma

Manik is the Founder and CEO of Therma, a technology startup whose mission is to help protect our food, health and planet. Therma builds safety and sustainability tools to eliminate food waste, improve energy efficiency and reduce refrigerant emissions — protecting consumers and combating climate change. Therma is deployed across restaurants, retailers, distributors and manufacturers worldwide, with leading brands including Mcdonald's, Starbucks, NOW Foods, 7-Eleven and Marriott Hotels. Previously, Manik co-founded the Governance Lab (GovLab), an innovation center at NYU that develops technology solutions to improve government. He has been recognized amongst the Top 100 Harvard Alumni in Technology, a past Affiliate of Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society, and previously held positions at global investment firm D. E. Shaw & Company and the White House National Economic Council.

14 Aug 202224min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

stopp-verden
dine-penger-pengeradet
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
finansredaksjonen
pengepodden-2
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
utbytte
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
pengesnakk
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
rss-sunn-okonomi
aksjepodden
rss-rettssikkerhet-bak-fasaden-pa-rettsstaten-norge
lederpodden
rss-fa-makro
okonomiamatorene
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen
rss-markedspuls-2