"How might we use artificial intelligence (AI) to give WiscNet members experience practicing cybersecurity incident response and planning?"

John Pederson, WiscNet's Director of Innovation and Strategy, hosted two sessions that put an artificial intelligence twist on cybersecurity. We hear WiscNet members say, "We don't have the time, budget, resources, or commitment to give cybersecurity the attention it needs." At WiscNet Connections 2025, attendees had the chance to play hands-on with a few possibilities in early development. We are interested in getting feedback from both a cybersecurity and an artificial intelligence perspective.

Thanks to Ben Dumke at Lawrence University and April Mardock of Seattle Public Schools for inspiring a few of the underlying elements that make this simulator a little more interesting.

WiscNet Artificial Intelligence Affinity Group Slack Channel

https://bit.ly/wiscnet-slack - Indicate you are interested in artificial intelligence, and we’ll get you into the right channel.

WiscNet Cybersecurity Incident Tabletop

The WiscNet Cybersecurity Incident Tabletop is an interactive storytelling tool designed to help users practice responding to cyber threats in realistic scenarios. Users choose a type of WiscNet member organization and a role on the Cybersecurity Incident Response Team. Through engaging, guided simulations set in the fictional community of Sudden Valley, Wisconsin, users face escalating challenges like ransomware or phishing attacks. They make strategic decisions, roll dice to determine outcomes, and learn incident response best practices in a gamified experience.

🧠 A Note About AI Use in These Activities

We're using AI tools like ChatGPT in this experience to support learning, experimentation, and discovery around cybersecurity. While AI can be a powerful partner in generating ideas, simulating scenarios, or simplifying complexity, it’s important to remember:

  • AI is a conversation partner, not a final authority. It provides suggestions and responses based on patterns, not understanding.

  • It doesn't "know"—it predicts. Answers may sound confident, but they might be incomplete, outdated, or just plain wrong. Always apply critical thinking.

  • Your context and judgment matter most. Especially in cybersecurity, there’s no substitute for human insight, experience, and collaboration.

  • This is a learning tool. We use AI here not to replace experts or automate decisions, but to invite deeper questioning and hands-on exploration.

If something seems off, unclear, or worth challenging—say so. That’s not a glitch in the process, it *is* the process.