34:55This recording is not available yet.
GoCast Podcast: Julien Turcot & Grant Asplund (Check Point)
Download resourcesCategories
AI & Emerging TechnologyThreats & Threat IntelligenceNation-State & GeopoliticsPhishing & Social EngineeringPeople, Culture & CareersSecurity Awareness
Vendors and tools discussed
About this session
In this GoCast live-stream interview, host Julien Turcot talks with Check Point evangelist Grant Asplund right after his keynote. Asplund traces his unlikely path into cybersecurity: selling fishing tackle in 1983, opening an early Apple dealership, then joining a Seattle startup that ported the Unix DNS software BIND to Windows, which Check Point acquired to let firewall policies reference names instead of raw IP addresses. He then discusses generative AI, explaining how the 2017 Transformer architecture merged previously siloed machine-learning domains into one, producing the exponential jump that led to ChatGPT and now unsettles him given recent research showing large deception rates across AI models. He argues AI will not replace people outright but will replace people who do not use it, compares cybersecurity to warfare as the only two domains with no negotiated end state, and warns that AI-assisted reconnaissance is already producing highly targeted phishing emails that reference a new hire's real management chain within days of joining.
GoCast is hitting the road and heading straight to the Main Stage at GoSec 2025! Get ready for a series of exclusive mini-interviews with some of the brightest minds in cybersecurity. Experience the unique energy of GoCast live at the heart of the conference — short, dynamic, and always captivating conversations that capture the ideas, trends, and voices shaping the future of cybersecurity.
Key takeaways
- Frame AI adoption as competitive necessity, not just risk: 'people with AI will replace people without it,' even while deception rates in current models argue for caution.
- Expect AI-assisted reconnaissance to compress phishing prep time dramatically, producing convincing emails that reference a target's real, current management chain within days of a role change.
- Treat cybersecurity as structurally different from most adversarial domains: unlike physical conflict, there is no negotiated truce or end state, so escalation should be the planning assumption.
- Watch the 2017 Transformer architecture as the inflection point that merged siloed machine-learning domains into one language model paradigm, explaining the sudden 2022 acceleration to tools like ChatGPT.
Speakers
Julien Turcot
Julien Turcot has spent more than two decades on the front lines of cybersecurity, navigating boardrooms and breach rooms with equal precision. As Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at GoSecure, he has helped organizations across North… Read moreRead less
Julien Turcot has spent more than two decades on the front lines of cybersecurity, navigating boardrooms and breach rooms with equal precision. As Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at GoSecure, he has helped organizations across North America strengthen their defenses, respond to crises, and turn security from a cost into a competitive advantage. A seasoned strategist, relentless dealmaker, and natural storyteller, Julien blends technical insight with a human touch, proving that in a world of constant digital threats, relationships remain the most powerful firewall.
Grant Asplund
For more than 25 years, Grant Asplund has been sharing his insights on how businesses can best protect themselves from sophisticated cyber-attacks in an increasingly complex world. As Check Point’s Evangelist, he travels the world enthralling… Read moreRead less
For more than 25 years, Grant Asplund has been sharing his insights on how businesses can best protect themselves from sophisticated cyber-attacks in an increasingly complex world. As Check Point’s Evangelist, he travels the world enthralling audiences with his passionate and relational storytelling at conferences like RSA and Next100 CIOs and numerous media interviews. Grant’s wide range of cyber security experience informs his talks, having served in diverse roles ranging from sales, marketing, business development, and senior management for Dome 9, Blue Coat Systems, Neustar, and Altor Networks. As CEO of MetaInfo, he led its acquisition by Neustar. Grant is the host of the CISO Secrets podcast (cp.buzzsprout.com) and the Talking Cloud Podcast (www.talkingcloudpodcast.com) on Cloud security.
