Artificial intelligence is rapidly intensifying both cyberattacks and the systems designed to stop them, creating a growing security challenge for organisations across sectors such as education, healthcare, and finance, executives from Huawei South Africa warned.
At the Huawei South Africa IP Club 2026 event in Johannesburg, CEO Kui Zheng noted that while AI is accelerating industry transformation, it is also introducing significant risks. He explained that cybercriminals are now able to launch faster, more sophisticated attacks, rendering traditional security measures increasingly ineffective.
Yanjun Yu, a senior principal architect at Huawei’s research division, described agentic AI as the most disruptive force in cybersecurity so far. He emphasised its dual nature: it enables autonomous attacks for malicious purposes while also powering automated defense systems to protect organisations. According to Yu, identity has effectively become the new security perimeter.
He added that the goal of AI-driven security is to make cyberattacks too expensive and risky to pursue, thereby pushing threat actors toward less-protected targets. Yu also highlighted quantum computing as a looming risk, warning of a “harvest now, decrypt later” strategy, where attackers collect encrypted data today with the intention of breaking it once quantum capabilities mature. He cautioned that this threat could become very real by 2030 and is often underestimated.
Despite the risks, Yu pointed out that organizations can turn the situation into an opportunity by strengthening resilience, adopting agile approaches, and partnering with trusted providers. Meanwhile, Huawei executive Mpolokeng Marakalla noted that the company works across multiple industries—from government to hospitality—focusing first on understanding client challenges before proposing solutions. Huawei also showcased its Xinghe AI SASE solution as a key tool for enhancing network security, while identifying Wi-Fi 7 campus networks and expanding data center infrastructure as major growth areas in the ongoing digital transformation.
Source : www. trendsnafrica.com
