In my LinkedIn Post I covered the basics of the difference between AI vishing and Human to Human Vishing, but let’s dive deeper here.
AI vishing measures exposure. Human-led adversarial engagements measure resilience.
Exposure tells you how many employees clicked, complied, or provided information.
Resilience tells you:
• How quickly employees escalate concerns
• Whether leadership reinforces verification behavior
• Where policy ambiguity creates friction
• How culture influences decision-making under pressure
• Which departments are most susceptible to authority exploitation
These insights do not always appear in large-scale automation reports. They surface in dynamic conversations or when someone pushes back. They surface when resistance forces adaptation, and that is where mature security programs gain real advantage.
The Hybrid Future
The conversation should not be framed as AI versus humans. The future of adversarial testing is layered. AI to test broad exposure and benchmark awareness but then human operators to simulate determined, thinking adversaries. Hybrid campaigns to create realistic threat models that reflect modern attacker behavior.
Organizations that rely solely on automation will gather data. Organizations that combine scale with adaptive realism will gain insight. And insight is what drives strategic security decisions.
Questions CISOs Should Be Asking Vendors
If you are evaluating vishing providers in 2026, ask:
- How do you measure insight beyond compliance rates?
- How do you simulate adaptive adversaries?
- What happens when a target pushes back or escalates?
- Can you differentiate exposure metrics from resilience analysis?
- How do you prevent psychological fatigue or trust erosion from over-testing?
If those questions make a vendor uncomfortable, that tells you something.
Final Thought
AI vishing is a powerful advancement. But tools do not create mastery. Operators do.
At SECOM, we use AI where it makes sense. We deploy human operators where realism matters. And we design hybrid adversarial campaigns for organizations that want more than metrics. They want understanding.
If you are building a serious human risk program and want to explore what layered adversarial testing would look like in your environment, let’s have that conversation.
