Responsible Agentic AI for Effective Cyber-Defense and Ethical Safety

The transition from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 is underway, reshaping the technological landscape—from traditional AI to Agentic AI, and from cyber-physical systems to cyber-physical-social systems—driven by human-centered AI innovation, which is a hallmark of Industry 5.0. While Agentic AI is shaping a smarter future, its implementation also introduces ethical and cybersecurity risks if proper controls, governance, regulations, and ethical considerations are not in place. This chapter explores human-centered AI innovations and opportunities, the evolving technological stack in Industry 5.0, and the challenges of human-machine collaboration. It further discusses trust and security concerns in Agentic AI and outlines the path forward. Finally, it examines how secure AI solutions can be built through the introduction of various controls, risk management frameworks, and secure Agentic AI practices to enable cybersecurity excellence and mitigate emerging threats. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the limitations and future opportunities to strengthen the AI-cybersecurity interface and reduce cyber risks effectively.