AppSec is harder than you think. Here’s how AI can help.

The push to shift application security processes left, embedding them earlier in the software development lifecycle, aims to detect vulnerabilities sooner and accelerate software delivery. However, this approach often shifts responsibility rather than expertise, burdening developers with security tasks for which they may lack training, leading to friction with security teams and compromised productivity. Many developers admit to releasing software with known vulnerabilities due to deadline pressures, highlighting the limitations of traditional security tools that can disrupt workflow and produce overwhelming false positives. AI offers a promising solution by integrating security seamlessly into developers' environments, as exemplified by tools like GitHub Copilot and CodeQL, which provide real-time, actionable security insights within the coding process. These AI-driven tools can automate threat modeling, detect secrets, and suggest precise fixes, enhancing both security and developer experience. As the number of applications continues to grow exponentially, improving alert relevancy, streamlining remediation, and reducing friction will be crucial, with AI poised to play a pivotal role in making security an integral and unobtrusive part of the development process.