RSAC 2026: The "Power of Community" in the Age of AI Agents

I’ve had a few weeks to digest everything since wrapping up the 35th annual RSA Conference at the Moscone Center, and the insights are still settling in. If the past few years were about bracing for the impact of AI, RSAC 2026 showed us that the dust has settled—and we are now actively building the future on top of it.

The official theme this year was "Power of Community," and it couldn't have been more fitting. With AI accelerating both cyber risk and cyber defense, it's clear that isolated efforts are no longer enough.

Here are my top three takeaways from the floor:

1. Identity Governance Now Belongs to the Agents

We spent years talking about securing human identities, but the massive shift this year was toward Adaptive Identity for AI Agents. The line between human, machine, and AI agent has completely blurred. Sessions were packed with discussions on how to establish context-aware access and governance for AI agents that are autonomously making decisions and accessing data in real-time. If you don't have a strategy for Non-Human Identities (NHI), you're already behind.

2. AI-Assisted Defense is the New Baseline

The conversation has matured from "Generative AI is a threat" to "AI is our most critical defensive weapon." We saw a huge focus on collapsing the attack lifecycle from weeks to literally minutes using AI-driven threat detection and automated response. The community is realizing that the only way to fight an automated, AI-powered adversary is with an equally autonomous, AI-assisted SOC.

3. Critical Infrastructure & The Quantum Horizon

Beyond the enterprise, there was a heavy spotlight on mission-critical networks and telecommunications. With adversaries embedding themselves deeper into protocol-level weaknesses, securing the foundational backbone of our modern life is a top priority. Plus, the discussions around Quantum Security have officially turned into actionable strategies. The transition plans are no longer theoretical; they are becoming operational mandates.

The Bottom Line

At its 35th anniversary, RSAC reminded us that while the technology evolves at breakneck speed, it’s the people—the community sharing knowledge, strategies, and support—who actually tip the scales in favor of the defenders.