The AI Summit Series at Black Hat USA is fast approaching, bringing together the brightest minds in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. To give potential attendees insight into what makes this event so valuable, we spoke with Matthew Martin, CEO and founder of Two Candlesticks and second-year Advisory Board member for The AI Summit at Black Hat USA. With over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity, Matthew shares his perspective on the event's value, networking opportunities, and the transformative impact of AI on the industry.

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The AI Summit Series: What drew you to the AI Summit at Black Hat USA as an Advisory Board member? And what is the main thing that you're hoping attendees will take away from the event?

Matthew Martin: I've been going to Black Hat for as long as I can remember as a security professional. I was on the Advisory Board last year, and this is my second year doing it. When they first approached me about it, I was super excited because it's a conference I've been going to forever, and I know the quality of talks and summits that go on there.

What's probably the most appealing thing about being on the board is that I get to help drive the agenda toward things that, as somebody who attends a lot of these conferences, I actually want to hear. One of the problems I see a lot, especially with AI, is that it's often a lot of theory – people just get up and talk about what it could do or might do in the future. That's all great, but nobody can do anything with that.

This year we've done an amazing job of getting the right level of people who have not only studied and theoretically know how it all works but have actually done things in the real world and can talk about how they really work. What I'm hoping people will walk away with this year are actionable things they can go back to their organization and implement.

The AI Summit Series: The AI Summit at Black Hat is coming up in August. What conversations are you most looking forward to having with other industry leaders?

MM: Probably learning from others just as much as trying to help with the agenda – hearing what other people are doing and what they're going through. The space, especially AI within cybersecurity, is moving so quickly that between now and then, there'll be at least four or five things that pop up that we don't even know about right now.

I'm hoping that some of the talks will spark people to share what they're seeing or experiencing. I think a lot of people miss that point of going to these conferences and summits. Listening to the talks is great, but also just being in the room and networking with people is invaluable. When you get back to work and you're working on something, you have people you can reach out to and ask, "Have you ever seen this before?" or "How are you dealing with this?"

The AI Summit Series: You've had over 20 years of experience in the cybersecurity industry. How have you seen AI transform the industry compared to when you first started your career?

MM: One of the things I talk about to people is that AI is a huge buzzword right now, but what people forget is that we've had AI and ML for decades. The journey of generative AI is new, and what it can do – the capabilities – are new and unbelievable.

From a security perspective, we're seeing a crazy amount of investment going to companies that have anything to do with AI. If you walk through the business hall at Black Hat or RSA, every single company has got AI something in it. On the negative side, I think people have gone too far in that direction with all the marketing and hype. Not every solution needs AI, and some of it's just not ready.

What's positive is that for me personally in my business, AI has made it so much easier to start a company and run a smaller consulting firm. It's almost like having a really good senior analyst that you're paying $20 a month for. You can just tell it to write a report, do research, or create a PowerPoint, and it just does it. For me, it's saving tens of thousands of dollars because I don't have to hire senior analysts to do the work.

Where I would like to see AI make a bigger impact is with developing countries. Investment typically goes into AI companies doing things for enterprises – big companies in the UK or US. But AI could have a world-changing impact if we start using it to make security accessible to developing countries who can't afford to have a SOC but might be able to have a fully AI-powered SOC. How do we use AI to help elevate them from nothing to some kind of foundational level?

The AI Summit Series: You mentioned earlier that you've been attending Black Hat USA for years. What's one piece of advice that you would give to a cybersecurity professional who is attending for the first time this year?

MM: Don't hide in your hotel room. It can be really easy when you go to these big conferences to just go to some talks and then say, "I'm exhausted," go back to the hotel room, order room service, watch TV, and do it all again the next day. But you really miss the value of being there if you do that.

There are events every day and evening, and tons of opportunities to just go up and say hey to somebody if you see them around on the conference floor. If there are certain people in your network that you look at and think, "They're doing some really cool stuff, and I want to learn from them," reach out to them and see if they're going to be there. Most likely they will be, and you can arrange some coffee time.

The power of places like Black Hat is the number of amazing people concentrated in one area, go meet them!

The AI Summit Series: As the founder of Two Candlesticks, what inspired you to focus on supporting those overlooked markets in the Global South?

MM: It all started at my last corporate job at LPL Financial. We had about 21,000 independent financial advisors that we had to help protect. They didn't work for LPL and weren't using our equipment – they were all their own companies, averaging two or three people per office. But regulators would see LPL as responsible for making sure they're safe and the data is secure.

What I saw was that there are a lot of small companies that just don't have the money or resources to properly secure data. Most small companies just risk it because if they start paying for all that security, they're not making any money and can't pay their bills. But if they get breached, they lose money, damage their reputation, and go out of business anyway. So they're in this catch-22.

For developing countries, when I first started my company, I hadn't really worked much with them. But as I researched where I could make the biggest impact, I connected with the GCSB and attended their conference in Ghana in 2023. When I was there, I learned they have zero cybersecurity training in schools—nothing. Even in college, they don't offer classes on cybersecurity.

After that experience, I got involved with Africa Digital Rights Hub and spoke at their conference. I've made connections around the continent, and last December, I was in Uganda doing a master class for 60 executives on risk assessments and cybersecurity. This year, I'll be in Morocco doing the same thing.

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As The AI Summit at Black Hat USA approaches, Matthew Martin's insights highlight the unique value of this gathering for cybersecurity and AI professionals. Beyond the cutting-edge presentations, the opportunity to build meaningful connections and gain actionable insights makes this event a must-attend for anyone looking to stay at the forefront of the rapidly evolving intersection of AI and cybersecurity. 

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