Reflections on RSAC 2026: The AI Foundation Sets While Legacy Challenges Promise Future Cracks

This IDC Perspective provides a retrospective analysis of the most pertinent application security topics and key takeaways from the RSA Conference. AI dominated RSA Conference 2026 narratives, but the real story is the gap between ambition and readiness and between risk and reward. Most organizations are building AI-powered applications but look to security providers to provide assurance. While a litany of dedicated AI-security solutions has emerged, and some AI companies have made marketable concessions, real gaps remain."In the era of AI cyberweapons and manifestos, security is the true indicator for AI readiness," said Christopher Rodriguez, research director, IDC Security and Trust. "Beyond simple adoption of LLMs to protect other LLMs, security providers may have to explore beyond familiar boundaries to find new sources of intelligence as part of their bigger mission to defend against exploit, theft, fraud, and abuse."