Security Magazine’s Jordyn Alger on AI Hype, Deepfakes, and the Art of “Yes, And”

As Security Magazine’s managing editor and podcast host, Jordyn Alger gets a front-row seat to the evolving security landscape, from AI hype to deepfakes. I had the chance to get her perspective on where the industry is headed, what catches her attention in a pitch, and how she identifies stories worth telling in an industry with no shortage of topics. Here’s what she had to say.

Coffee, emails, or headlines first – how do you start your work day? 

Can I say, “All of the above?”

My typical day starts with a mixture of checking my emails and checking the headlines at the same time. I have some fantastic connections in my inbox that live in different time zones and sometimes learn of breaking news before I’ve even woken up, so at the bare minimum, I want to glance at my inbox and see what people in my sphere are chatting about while I check the headlines. And of course, I’m doing all of this with at least one cup of coffee.

Of all the stories you’ve written or edited, which one is your favorite? Why?

It’s hard to pick just one, in all honesty. I’m a person that loves to learn, and I’ve really enjoyed being able to dive into the security and cybersecurity space and just soak it all in. I feel like there’s always something I’m working on or contributing to that really excites me.

One that comes to mind is an article about a thwarted attack against a university’s campus police. So often, coverage in this space can feel like doom and gloom — cyberattacks, data incidents, security breaches — so the opportunity to write about a security success story was one I really enjoyed, especially due to the great insights my featured expert, Danielle Weddepohl, had to share.

Has covering security changed how you think about technology in your own life?

Without a doubt. Every so often, I sit my friends and family down and tell them, “Hey, you know I’ll never call you from an unknown number and ask for an exorbitant amount of money, right?” With the proliferation of AI-driven voice cloning, I often reach out to my loved ones who may be less “in the know” about this technology to ensure they’re at least aware and hopefully won’t be as susceptible to these threats.

A big part of why I worry about this is the fact that my voice is easily accessible online — in great quantities, too — due to hosting my publication’s podcast, Lock It Down with Security Magazine. There’s plenty of audio and visual content that could be clipped and fed to this technology for a deepfake, so it is definitely something I keep in the back of my mind.

What’s your take on the growth of new media like newsletters and podcasts, and how do you think it will shape the future of journalism?

I think reaching the audience where they are is awesome. If someone doesn’t have time to read through a full article, but they have time to listen to a podcast on-the-go, then I love that there’s a way I can help keep them informed. I think that in the future, journalism will continue to explore new forms of media to get their message across.

On the flipside, I wonder about oversaturation of content, sometimes. Once everyone is doing a newsletter, a podcast, and a dozen other items, will it be too much? There’s always a delicate balance. The last thing I want to do is totally clog up the online world. I want to reach our audience in an authentic way, and that’s why I always try to share information I think is genuinely valuable, and not just white noise.

I know you get hundreds of emails a day. What do you typically look for in a pitch that catches your eye?

I’m always looking for something fresh. I’m looking for something that answers, “Why should we care?”

The industry has a million fascinating topics to talk about, and they’re doing it all on their own without any help from me. If I accepted every single AI-related pitch that came my way, all I would be offering is the same asked and answered questions that have been presented a hundred times over.

So, I like to look for pitches that add something. Instead of jumping into already existing conversations with the same, worn-out topic, I want to be able to offer a “yes, and” approach with my stories.

Looking ahead to the next 6 months to a year, what stories do you expect to dominate security coverage?

The broad topic of AI has been dominating coverage for a while now. I expect this to continue, but in two specific categories.

First, agentic AI. This is a topic that has been picking up traction, and I expect it to continue to grow. People want to know how this technology is evolving, how it can be used, and what the associated risks are.

Second, I predict we’re going to start seeing some AI disillusionment. I think we already are. While the technology is fascinating and useful in proper context, I think there’s been a lot of hype around the subject and has overinflated it. As the hype dies down, I think we’ll see people grow disappointed with the technology, feeling they were led to believe it could accomplish things at a scale it’s simply not capable of, and then we’ll begin to see attitudes plateau to a more reasonable outlook. That’s when the technology will truly be put to the best possible use, which will be exciting to see.