Will AI Replace Human Pentesters?

AI vs. Human Pentesting: Who Wins?What happens when you try to automate something that’s part science, part art? In an industry rushing to adopt AI for everything from detection to response, the real question is: can a machine truly replace the craft of a human pentester?In this episode of Threat Talks, host Lieuwe Jan Koning is joined by Melanie Rieback, co-founder and CEO of Radically Open Security, and Luca Cipriano, a red teamer and threat intel specialist. Together, they dig into what makes great pentesting work.Melanie explains why her company donates 90% of profits to open source and operates with a not-for-profit model, and how that connects with their mission to support NGOs and civil society groups. Together, she and Luca share their hands-on experience with pentesting and why creativity, gut instinct, and lateral thinking are still crucial in ethical hacking.They discuss:🤖 Can AI outsmart human red teamers?🧠 What makes great hacking truly human?🔍 What’s still too complex for automation?From tool-assisted testing to old-school intuition, this conversation offers a grounded take on the reality of modern pentesting and what AI can’t do (yet).🔔 Follow and Support our channel! 🔔=== ► YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@ThreatTalks► SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/1SXUyUEndOeKYREvlAeD7E► APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/threat-talks-your-gateway-to-cybersecurity-insights/id1725776520👕 Receive your Threat Talks T-shirthttps://threat-talks.com/🗺️ Explore the Hack's Route in Detail 🗺️https://threat-talks.com🕵️ Threat Talks is a collaboration between @ON2IT and @AMS-IX