Black Hat and cybersecurity events focus on agentic AI in Las Vegas

The cybersecurity industry converged on Las Vegas for a series of major events, including Black Hat, DEF CON, and BSides Las Vegas. Black Hat saw significant growth, with over 23,000 verified attendees, representing a more than 15% increase year-over-year.

Agentic AI emerged as a dominant theme across both offensive and defensive security discussions. While the technology has moved from novelty to a standard industry topic, research presented during the week suggested that AI is primarily accelerating existing attack methods rather than creating entirely new ones.

Despite the scale of the events, there were notable shifts in media engagement. Confirmed press attendance at Black Hat reportedly decreased by approximately 10% compared to 2025, partly due to travel budget constraints among reporters. Additionally, industry analysts noted a gap between the high level of technical hype surrounding AI and the practical questions posed by corporate boards regarding asset visibility and actual security outcomes.