By Artificial intelligence (AI) is not only transforming how digital services are delivered, but also reshaping how cyber threats evolve. In a recent TFiR interview with Swapnil Bhartiya, Rupesh Chokshi, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Akamai’s Application Security Portfolio, unveiled a key piece of that response: Akamai’s new Firewall for AI, launched at RSA.
The conversation began with a critical look at Akamai’s State of the Internet report, which underscores the rising urgency around application and API security. In the latest edition, Akamai analyzed 311 billion web application attacks, noting a 33% year-over-year increase. Strikingly, nearly half—150 billion—targeted APIs specifically, pointing to a rapid evolution in attack surfaces.
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Web application security is no longer about a firewall alone. As Chokshi noted, “AI is present in every vertical, every industry, every government agency—striving to do good or to do better.” This digital acceleration brings powerful capabilities but also unprecedented risks.
One of the more disturbing trends is the rise of Layer 7 DDoS attacks, which Akamai identifies as both more frequent and more complex. High-tech, financial, and e-commerce sectors are most vulnerable, and EMEA regions have emerged as the top geographical target. It’s a threat landscape that’s shifting as fast as the AI tools that define it.
Chokshi emphasized that this is where Akamai’s Firewall for AI comes in. GenAI apps and LLM-based systems are driving new types of digital interaction—but they also open new frontiers for threat actors. “We really need to focus on securing AI,” he explained. The solution? Security that understands the nuances of AI application behavior and attack vectors.
This move aligns with broader industry trends, where the convergence of security and AI is becoming strategic. As Chokshi put it, the goal is simple but vital: “It’s about securing AI.”
This perspective isn’t isolated. Increasingly, security conversations are turning toward how infrastructure must evolve to handle AI-native threats. It’s no longer just about defending static applications—it’s about securing dynamically evolving, highly interconnected systems.
For Akamai, this means embedding protections directly into the cloud edge, where performance and security can be enforced with minimal latency. The Firewall for AI is not a bolt-on—it’s an integrated response to a rapidly transforming ecosystem.
As AI adoption becomes universal, securing that adoption becomes non-negotiable. This interview is a must-watch for anyone in the cloud-native, AI, or cybersecurity space.
To learn more about Akamai’s innovations and how the digital security landscape is evolving, visit TFiR.
