WatchGuard introduces Rai, an always-on AI coworker for MSSPs

WatchGuard Technologies has unveiled Rai, a new agentic AI digital workforce designed specifically for managed service providers (MSPs) looking to automate threat detection and response operations. The company introduced Rai during its EMEA Impact 2026 Partner Conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia, positioning the platform as a major shift from traditional “assistive AI” tools toward autonomous cybersecurity operations.

What Rai does

According to WatchGuard, Rai functions as an always-on AI coworker capable of continuously monitoring customer environments, correlating threats, investigating suspicious activity, and taking authorized response actions before human intervention is required.

The first available capability, known as the “Analyst” role, delivers automated detection, investigation, and response across endpoint and network environments. WatchGuard said future versions will introduce additional “Auditor” and “Admin” roles focused on compliance management, operational maintenance, patch scheduling, and certificate rotation.

WatchGuard described Rai as a “digital workforce” rather than a traditional AI assistant, arguing that the platform is designed to actively execute security tasks instead of merely recommending actions to human analysts.

Addressing MSP burnout and alert fatigue

The launch comes as MSPs and MSSPs face growing pressure to manage increasingly complex cyber threats while struggling with talent shortages, rising operational costs, and around-the-clock monitoring demands.

“Cyber threats are increasing in both volume and complexity, and organizations need AI that is built to work continuously across every client,” said Ben Oster, Vice President of Product Management at WatchGuard. “Rai shifts security operations from reactive to predictive, taking action instantly to deliver more consistent protection.”

The platform integrates with the newly launched WatchGuard Insights Hub, a centralized dashboard that provides visibility into AI-driven actions across managed customer environments. The system also includes a “Daily Brief” feature summarizing incidents, automated actions taken, and outstanding issues requiring human review.

Human oversight is still required

While WatchGuard emphasized Rai’s autonomous capabilities, the company stressed that partners remain in control through configurable policies and oversight controls. Every automated action is logged and auditable through the Insights Hub platform.

Industry analysts note that governance and transparency will likely become key factors in determining whether MSPs trust AI systems to autonomously operate across customer networks. Concerns around false positives, unintended remediation actions, and compliance requirements continue to shape enterprise adoption of agentic AI security tools.

Growing competition in AI security

WatchGuard’s announcement reflects a broader industry trend as cybersecurity vendors increasingly integrate generative and agentic AI into their products. Companies across the security market are investing heavily in AI-driven threat hunting, incident response, and operational automation as organizations seek to reduce analyst workloads and improve response times.

WatchGuard said Rai is designed to help partners scale operations without proportionally increasing headcount, potentially allowing smaller MSPs to compete more effectively with larger security providers that operate full-scale security operations centers.