On July 15, 2026, ISC2 announced it is developing a new AI security certification and opened a worldwide call for volunteers to help define what the credential should test. The organization behind the CISSP is treating the security of artificial intelligence as its own discipline, and it wants working practitioners to shape the standard from the start.
What did ISC2 announce?
ISC2 said it has started building a vendor-neutral AI security certification, according to its July 15 announcement. The credential is meant to validate the skills needed to secure AI systems, manage AI-specific threats, and reduce AI risk across an organization. ISC2 is using its practitioner-led development model, which means the exam content comes from volunteer subject matter experts rather than a single vendor’s product roadmap. Axios reported the plan on July 21, framing it as one of the largest certification bodies moving to formalize AI security skills.
This is a development announcement, not a launch. ISC2 opened the definition phase immediately and said a pilot exam is anticipated by the end of 2026. Names, pricing, and prerequisites have not been published yet, so treat any specific figure you see elsewhere as unconfirmed until ISC2 releases the exam outline.
Why is ISC2 building this now?
The timing follows a clear pattern. Earlier in 2026, ISC2 published formal AI security guidance for its members, and the 2025 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study found that professionals ranked AI and machine learning skills as their top area of need, ahead of adding headcount. A dedicated certification is the logical next step once demand for a skill outpaces the supply of people who can prove they have it.
There is also a gap the CISSP does not fully close. AI security touches secure design, data protection, identity, and software security, but no single existing credential centers on adversarial machine learning, model governance, or securing AI pipelines end to end. ISC2 is betting that a focused credential will carry more weight with employers than a few AI questions folded into a broad exam.
What does it mean for CISSP holders?
For now, very little changes about the CISSP itself. The new certification is a specialized complement, not a replacement, and it is aimed at people who already understand security fundamentals. If you hold the CISSP, you already have the base the AI credential will build on.
The more useful takeaway is that AI security is no longer a fringe topic. It already shows up as context on the current CISSP exam, and it belongs in your continuing education plan whether or not you pursue the new credential. Waiting for a pilot exam that may not be widely available until 2027 is a poor reason to put off learning how to threat model an AI system today.
How can you get involved?
ISC2 is recruiting volunteers globally to help define the knowledge, skills, and abilities the exam will measure. Volunteers take part in the workshops that produce the exam blueprint, which is the same process that shapes every ISC2 credential. You can apply through the ISC2 announcement.
Volunteering is worth weighing honestly. It gives you an early, direct hand in an emerging standard and forces you to sharpen your own AI security knowledge months before the exam exists. It is also a real time commitment of unpaid work, so go in for the learning and the influence, not for a shortcut to the credential.
When will the AI security exam be available?
ISC2 said the definition phase begins now, followed by development, with a pilot exam anticipated by the end of 2026. Pilot exams are limited early sittings used to validate the questions, so general availability typically comes later. Watch ISC2’s announcements for the published exam outline, which is the first document worth reading once it lands.
If you want to prepare in the meantime, keep AI security in your study rotation and review how the current exam already frames it in our CISSP exam format guide. The candidates who tend to do well when a new credential launches are the ones who were already working in the subject, not the ones who waited for the study guide.