Seminar: Human Factors in Cybersecurity in the Age of AI (HFCAI)

Joint seminar by the Chair of Digital Industrial Service Systems (DISS), FAU WISO, and the Lab of Computer Science 7 (INF7), FAU TechFak.

The seminar addresses a changing understanding of the “human factor” in cybersecurity. In the age of AI agents, humans are not only end users or sources of error, but also designers, operators, supervisors, and delegators of semi-autonomous systems. Security risks increasingly emerge at the intersection of human intent, system design, and agent behavior.

To establish a shared foundation across disciplinary backgrounds, the seminar introduces the basics of cybersecurity, AI agents, and the technical principles of agent runtimes. Building on this foundation, student teams work on a research-oriented design project in which they iteratively improve an AI agent runtime with a focus on security, controllability, and reliability. The seminar follows a Design Science Research (DSR) perspective and combines conceptual reflection, technical prototyping, and structured evaluation.

Prerequisites for Participation

This seminar is designed for students from both FAU WISO and FAU TechFak. Prior knowledge in cybersecurity, software engineering, or AI is helpful, but it is not strictly required.

What Students Will Learn

• Understand cybersecurity challenges in AI-driven environments.
• Learn how AI agents and runtimes function and where risks emerge.
• Design and evaluate security solutions for AI systems.
• Apply Design Science Research (DSR) methodology to real technical problems.
• Build interdisciplinary collaboration and communication skills.

Expected Student Tasks

• Work in teams on a research-oriented, iterative project combining theory and practice.
• Learn fundamentals of cybersecurity, AI agents, and Design Science Research (DSR).
• Develop and improve an AI agent runtime with a focus on security and reliability.
• Document, evaluate, and present results, including design decisions and limitations.
• Actively participate in discussions and critically reflect throughout the seminar.

Resources Provided by the Two Chairs

The seminar is jointly supported by the Chair of Digital Industrial Service Systems (DISS) at FAU WISO and the Lab of Computer Science 7 (INF7) at FAU TechFak. The cooperation between the two chairs allows students to draw on both perspectives:

• Information systems perspective: socio-technical system design, governance, and Design Science Research.
• Computer science perspective: technical system implementation, security mechanisms, and runtime-oriented experimentation.

Seminar Format

Session
Tuesday, 14:00–16:00

Location
AEG THEO

Target Group
Students from FAU WISO and FAU TechFak

Seminar Location

The seminar will take place at the premises of the Chair of Digital Industrial Service Systems (DISS):

Chair of Digital Industrial Service Systems
Fürther Str. 248
90429 Nürnberg

Please note that the entrance is not located directly on the roadside of Fürther Straße, but within the Auf AEG area. Students should therefore use the internal access route indicated by the chair’s official location information rather than the entrances for other institutions on the site.

Schedule

Further Information

Course materials and organizational information are available via StudOn:
StudOn course page

https://www.studon.fau.de/studon/go/crs/6896744