Internet Week 2026 session splits AI vs human roles in incident response

Internet Week is a long-running technical conference for internet engineers, and 2026 marks its 30th edition. Sessions span network operations, security, governance, and education, and this year's theme is 'Learning How to Survive in the AI Era.'

The C12 session sits within that theme by asking a question organizers say is still hard to answer: as AI takes over more analysis and business support, what exactly is left for the people who handle incidents? Miki said she proposed the session after noticing the theme and wondering how the jobs of operations and incident response staff would change.

Ide's approach is to decompose incident handling — not just investigating and containing systems, but also deciding on public relations and channeling decisions to management — and then to sort out which parts AI is better at and which people should keep. He noted that his own role leans toward risk management, so his perspective may differ from that of technically focused responders on the ground. Miki added that she invited Ide because his talks articulate the vague sense of discomfort practitioners often feel but struggle to put into words.