In my forth post, I looked at how to get started in your organization today with practical steps. In part 5, let's see how you can have some fun with AI.
I love learning, and my AI journey has been often fun and sometimes frustrating, but always interesting. You wouldn't be in security if you weren't a lifelong learner. AI is a great opportunity to learn -- and best of all, you can use AI to teach yourself about AI.
Building your AI literacy isn't just about future-proofing your career—it's about unlocking new capabilities today. It might also be critical for communicating with your kids -- they are growing up with this.
At AppSecAI, we've been doing this every day for two years. There are many resources available, but these are the ones we use. This checklist provides concrete steps you can take to build your AI expertise, experiment with tools, and stay informed as the technology evolves.
- Read: Build Your Foundation
Start by developing a solid conceptual understanding of AI through carefully selected books and articles:
- "Genius Makers" by Cade Metz -- This is the first book I read. It is a great NYTimes level overview of AI and helped me understand its strengths, weaknesses and limitations. The book traces the rise of modern AI, profiling the researchers and entrepreneurs who turned neural networks from academic curiosity into world-changing technology. Metz provides an accessible introduction to how we got here and why it matters.
- "The Alignment Problem" by Brian Christian - For security professionals, understanding AI safety and alignment is crucial. This book explores the challenges of ensuring AI systems act in accordance with human values and intentions.
- "AI Superpowers" by Kai-Fu Lee - Gain perspective on the global AI race and how different approaches to AI development in the US and China are shaping the technology's evolution.
- "Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans" by Melanie Mitchell - A balanced, technical yet accessible explanation of how modern AI systems work, their capabilities, and limitations.
Action item:
- [ ] Select one book from the list and commit to reading it within the next month
- Learn: Follow Key Resources
Stay current with AI developments through carefully selected content sources:
- Matt Berman's YouTube Channel - Offers clear, technically accurate explanations of AI concepts in digestible formats, focusing on practical applications rather than hype. https://www.youtube.com/@matthew_berman
- Rundown AI Newsletter - Provides concise summaries of significant AI developments, cutting through the noise to highlight truly important advances. https://www.therundown.ai/
- "The Batch" by Andrew Ng - Weekly newsletter covering AI news, research, and applications with a focus on practical implications - https://www.deeplearning.ai/the-batch/
Action items:
- [ ] Subscribe to the Rundown AI newsletter
- [ ] Watch at least two Matt Berman videos that interest you
- [ ] Create a slack channel with friends and colleagues to share learnings/resources
- Try: Experiment with AI Tools
Hands-on experience is irreplaceable. This is the real fun with AI, unlike high energy physics, you can play with it (safely) at home. Start working with AI tools to develop an intuitive understanding of their capabilities and limitations:
The first thing to do is use the tools. Your focus does not have to be security -- it can be on anything that interests you (food, music, history, health etc).
I have often created areas of expertise with these products in specific areas.
My favorite features are:
OpenAI ChatGPT -- create a custom GPT in a specific topic area. Also -- their deep research feature is very cool -- it can create 10-20 page papers with citations in many areas in 10 minutes or so.
Anthropic Claude -- I use their projects feature in teams for specific areas of expertise. Like ChatGPT, it is also a great writer and has just added a deep research feature.
Perplexity.ai - Experience how AI transforms information seeking and research. Perplexity is taking clear aim at Google -- see why. They also have a deep research feature. Compare it with ChatGPT amd
Google Notebook LLM -- Load it up with a few documents in a selected area and have it create a podcast -- completely amazing. I have created birthday wish podcasts for friends.
I use multiple tools -- sometimes taking the output of one tool (like Claude) and putting it into another tool (like ChatGPT) for editing and enhancement.
There are many others -- if you want a tool in a specific area, just ask any of these AIs!
Action items:
- [ ] Create a free account on Claude or ChatGPT
- [ ] Complete a personal project in an area you are interested in and see what you can learn
- [ ] Document your learnings about what works well and what doesn't
- Understand: Visual AI and Multimodal Systems
Visual AI capabilities are advancing rapidly and have significant security implications:
- Runway.ai - Explore this creative suite to understand image and video generation capabilities.
- Luma.ai - Experiment with their Dream Machine to grasp the state-of-the-art in AI video creation from static images.
- Midjourney - Experience image generation to understand how visual synthesis works.
Action items:
- [ ] Create an account on Runway, Luma.ai or Midjourney and generate images and videos that interest you. I have found it useful to upload something to start with rather than just say "create a fuzzy cat"
- Code: Build Something Interesting with Vibe Coding
Even with limited coding experience, you can create AI-powered tools:
- For beginners: Bolt.new - This platform provides an accessible way to create simple AI applications with minimal coding knowledge. My current favorite for "little code" projects -- it also has a direct connection to a Postgres database and integrated deployment.
- For those with some experience: Cursor AI and Anthropic Claude Code -- we use them both
- Google Firebase Studio - Brand new from Google and receiving strong reviews.
Here is a great video overview - it will save you a ton of time - Matt Berman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7UcVPO4y3c&t=28s
Action items:
- [ ] Think of a simple application you can build -- a website, sports scheduling, a game etc. - make it fun!!
- [ ] Write a 1 page (or so) specification of the application -- this is critical -- extra points - have AI write the spec for you!
- [ ] Create the application -- the first time out, this will take a few hours.
- [ ] Share your creation with colleagues for feedback
- Apply: Integrate AI Into Your Security Work
Move from learning to application by finding opportunities to apply AI in your security role:
- Identify Manual Processes - Look for repetitive tasks in your security workflows that could benefit from automation.
- Experiment with AI Augmentation - Try using AI tools alongside your current processes before fully integrating them.
- Start a Pilot Project - Propose a small-scale pilot of an AI security tool in a non-critical area.
- Share Learnings - Document your experiences and share them with your team.
Action items:
- [ ] Identify three security tasks that could benefit from AI assistance
- [ ] Create a proposal for a small-scale AI pilot in your organization
- [ ] Develop metrics to measure the impact of AI on your work
- [ ] Schedule a knowledge-sharing session with your team
- Connect: Build Your AI Security Network
Learning is more effective when it's social:
- Join Communities - Become active in AI security communities like:
- AI Security Alliance
- OWASP AI Security Project
- Cloud Security Alliance AI/ML Working Group
- Attend Events - Participate in webinars, conferences, and workshops focused on AI in security.
- Contribute - Share your experiences and insights through blog posts, community forums, or presentations.
Action items:
- [ ] Join at least one AI security community
- [ ] Attend a virtual or in-person event focused on AI and security
- [ ] Connect with three professionals working at the intersection of AI and security
- [ ] Share your learning journey with others
Building Your Personal Learning Roadmap
The resources mentioned above are neither exhaustive nor permanently "best in class"—they represent practical starting points that have proven valuable. As you progress in your AI literacy journey, you'll discover additional resources that align with your learning style and professional needs.
The key is consistent engagement—even just 30 minutes daily can rapidly build your AI literacy over time. Remember that AI is evolving quickly, so maintaining curiosity and adaptability is more important than mastering any specific tool or technique.
Start where you are, be consistent, and prioritize hands-on experimentation. The goal isn't to become an AI researcher but to develop sufficient literacy to effectively leverage these technologies in your security career and engage meaningfully in discussions about AI's implications for our field.
Your investment in AI literacy today will pay dividends throughout your security career, enhancing your capability to protect organizations in an increasingly AI-powered threat landscape.
For more information about how AppSecAI can help your organization eliminate false positives and automate remediation, visit www.appsecai.io or contact us at automation@appsecai.io.
Bruce Fram
CEO and Founder, AppSecAI