Cybersecurity: Energy's real threat isn't AI, it's us, humans

Despite the mass hysteria about AI taking over, the real Achilles' heel for our energy systems remains the human element. Our errors, negligence, or worse, malice, are what truly keep security officials up at night.

Before recent high-profile hacks raised the specter of AI possibly "killing all humans," our energy infrastructure was already disturbingly vulnerable. Joshua Corman, an executive in residence for public safety, candidly admitted that we were "always prey." Did we really think a robot was more dangerous than human error?

Vulnerability isn't just technical; it often lies in daily routines and human decisions. A misclick on a phishing email or a weak password can open doors to disasters far worse than any AI-driven attack.

Energy systems are complex, often packed with legacy software and outdated interfaces, but at the end of the chain, there's always an operator. It's not AI that forgets to update a system or leaves a port open for convenience; it's a person. This is the risk that keeps growing.