INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGIES IN CYBERSECURITY: ANALYSIS OF THE POTENTIAL AND CHALLENGES OF THE APPLICATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

The article provides a systematic analysis of the opportunities and challenges of applying artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of cybersecurity. The feasibility of integrating AI technologies into modern cyber defense strategies in the face of increasing complexity and intensity of cyber threats is substantiated. The main areas of AI use are identified, in particular, the automation of anomaly detection, forecasting cyber threats, accelerating incident response, and the formation of adaptive protection systems. Practical cases of implementing AI solutions are analyzed, which confirm the increase in the accuracy of threat detection and reduction of response time. Special attention is paid to the risks and vulnerabilities of AI-oriented systems, in particular, threats such as adversarial attacks and data poisoning, as well as the use of AI by attackers to implement AI-assisted attacks. The prospects for the development of AI technologies in 2025–2026 are considered, including the introduction of autonomous intelligent agents (agentic AI) in operational cyber defense centers. It is shown that the transition to autonomous protection models requires increased control, the use of hybrid approaches (AI combined with human expert supervision) and the improvement of regulatory and ethical mechanisms. The results of the study allow us to form a comprehensive vision of the evolution of AI-oriented cyber defense systems and justify the need for a balanced combination of technological capabilities and risk management.