“In HR, AI hasn’t replaced the human element — and it never will”

“In HR, AI hasn’t replaced the human element — and it never will,” said Lior Gez, Talent Acquisition Team Lead at Cymulate. “But it has become a powerful extension of what we can do. It helps us think through complex ideas, communicate more clearly, and reach diverse audiences with greater cultural nuance.”

Gez joined CTech as part of its new series, HR in the AI Era , which explores artificial intelligence's impact on the workplace. “Whether I’m crafting internal messages, localizing job descriptions, or translating across languages and mindsets — AI is like a creative partner: fast, available anytime, and full of insight.”

Lior Gez - Talent Acquisition Team Lead

You can read the entire interview below.

Company name: Cymulate
Name and title: Lior Gez - Talent Acquisition Team Lead
Names of founders and upper management: Eyal Wachsman – CEO; Avihai Ben Yossef – CTO; Roei Khermosh – CFO; Margo Kahnrose – Chief Marketing Officer (CMO); Itzik Finkel – SVP of Sales; Katia Levitin – Chief of Staff; Sasha Gohman – VP Research; Eynat Grunewald – General Counsel; Dvora Cohen – VP R&D
Year of founding: 2016
Investment stage: Post-Series D funding
Total investment to date: $141M
Field of activity: Cyber
Number of employees: 280
Office location: Headquartered in Holon, Israel, we operate globally with teams in India, Singapore, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the United States, South America, and additional locations.
Number of open positions: 30

On a scale of 1-10, how much does the AI revolution disrupt your company operation in general, and the HR department specifically?

We’re integrating AI both internally and in our product. Internally, it supports content creation, workflow optimization, and code reviews tailored to our platform. In product, AI powers our Cybersecurity Advisor, generating proactive assessments, simulating attacks, and streamlining threat analysis.

In HR, AI enhances communication and operations, freeing us to focus on creativity and employee experience. We operate with an AI-first mindset — not treating AI as a side project, but as a strategic foundation that drives how we work, make decisions, and scale.

What interesting AI tools do you and your staff use in employee management/recruitment?

At Cymulate, AI is a core part of how we scale people operations. From drafting job descriptions with ChatGPT to using smart tools for transcription, summarization, and scheduling — AI helps us move faster and smarter.

It boosts our recruitment efforts while freeing our team from repetitive tasks. The result? More time for real connection, better decisions, and a stronger employee experience.

In which roles or tasks within your company has AI already begun to replace human labor (if at all)?

At Cymulate, AI has not replaced human roles, and we don’t see it as a tool for replacement, but rather as an enabler. So far, AI serves to enhance our teams' capabilities by streamlining workflows, improving efficiency, and reducing time spent on repetitive or low-impact tasks.

AI complements our work rather than substitutes it. We believe that true innovation happens when humans and technology work together — and that’s exactly how we use AI today.

What are the two major challenges you are coping with these days?

We’re currently tackling two key challenges. First, we’re boosting R&D efficiency by integrating AI into our development processes — using tools like Cursor and building in-house AI agents to streamline code reviews, CI/CD, and troubleshooting, allowing engineers to focus on innovation.

Second, we’re transforming security validation by developing AI agents that simulate threats, assess defenses in real time, and deliver insights. This shift from periodic checks to continuous exposure management is essential in today’s evolving threat landscape.

Have you experienced workforce-related challenges due to the war, and are you still feeling the impact of the security situation on your human resources?

The ongoing conflict deeply affects our people—many serve in the reserves or support a partner who does. It’s become part of our organizational reality, with managers and HR stepping up to offer flexibility, empathy, and proactive support.

We respect privacy while ensuring no one feels alone, whether they’re on duty or holding things together at home. Families know they’re seen and supported.

Despite the challenges, employees stay engaged—joining events remotely, referring candidates, and staying connected. We've also adapted the workplace to be more family-friendly, easing the load on working parents during uncertain times.

Our focus on performance remains strong, but it’s grounded in trust, compassion, and humanity. Above all, we continue to hope for the safe return of the hostages, who are never far from our thoughts.

Have you made changes to your workforce following the increased use of AI tools, both in terms of headcount and internal shifts between departments?

Yes, AI has positively impacted our workforce. By integrating AI into our day-to-day operations, we’ve reduced the time spent on ongoing maintenance and repetitive tasks, freeing teams to focus on new technologies and product innovation.

This shift has increased efficiency across departments and allowed us to reallocate resources strategically. In some cases, this has led to internal transitions, such as employees moving from Product to R&D to support forward-looking initiatives.

We’ve also hired more talent to lead and support AI-driven projects, both internally and in our customer-facing offerings like the Cybersecurity AI Advisor.

Despite external challenges, our employees remain engaged and connected. We’ve adapted our workplace to support working parents and maintain strong performance while prioritizing trust, compassion, and humanity.

How does the global market uncertainty affect your workforce, in terms of employee numbers or departmental reallocations? Are you scaling your workforce up or down in different regions around the world?

At Cymulate, we recognize that global market conditions can shift quickly, but reacting too often or too drastically risks organizational stability. Instead, we stay closely attuned to trends, customer needs, competitor moves, and macroeconomic shifts, while ensuring our internal decisions remain thoughtful and grounded.

We don’t hire based on temporary market fluctuations. Every new role reflects a real, ongoing need within the team, making each addition meaningful and sustainable.

That said, we do adjust strategically. For example, as our customer base in Asia grows, we’ve strengthened our presence there — expanding in Singapore while maintaining strong teams in India, EMEA, and the U.S.

We know when to accelerate and when to hold steady, always prioritizing long-term focus and stability.

Do you estimate that in 2025–2026 you will increase or decrease the number of personnel? Explain why.

We anticipate a more measured pace of workforce growth in 2025–2026, but with a sharper focus on innovation and future products. While overall headcount may not grow dramatically, we expect to shift more talent toward new technologies and next-generation product development.

At the same time, we’re leveraging AI and operational efficiencies to reduce the load of ongoing product maintenance and repetitive tasks. This allows our existing teams to move faster, deliver more value, and focus on what truly drives impact.

Over the past year, we’ve seen strong results from tighter prioritization, cross-functional alignment, and internal mobility. We’ll continue investing in upskilling and empowering our people, ensuring growth happens with intention, not just in numbers.