3 Years of Cyber Competition Data: What AI Really Changed

Cybersecurity leaders face a key question: as AI tools integrate into security operations, how does this impact human expertise? Measuring this is challenging as teams scale and threats grow complex.

Using three years of competition data and an AI-augmented vs. human-only benchmark, this brief quantifies how speed, coverage, and judgment evolve. It outlines where AI boosts performance versus where human oversight remains vital.

• Full-board completions rose from 2 teams in 2024 to 15 in 2026
• Median solve time dropped by 12+ hours
• AI-augmented teams had a 3.2x solve-rate edge, narrowing among elite operators

Explore these benchmarks to understand building cyber talent in an AI-driven era.