AI Agents Used by 68% of Top-Performing Cybersecurity Teams
Brief
AI agents are already finding their way into the working methods of some of the highest-performing cybersecurity teams, according to new three-year benchmark data from Hack The Box (HTB). The 2026 Global Cyber Skills Benchmark found that 68% of the top 25 teams included an AI agent, despite AI agents accounting for just 2. 7% of all registered accounts.
The findings provide an early indication of how AI is being incorporated into practical cybersecurity work alongside human expertise.
Across the competition, 17 of the top 25 teams had an AI agent. Collectively, agents were responsible for 4. 2% of submitted flags and 4. 6% of points awarded.
HTB cautioned that the figures do not demonstrate that the use of AI caused teams to perform better.