Organizations increasingly think it’s a great idea, even an absolute necessity, to integrate artificial intelligence into their operations. And it can be both. But many organizations don’t understand the cybersecurity risks involved with AI, and they don’t realize how unprepared they are to secure their AI deployments.
Whether for internal productivity or customer-facing innovation, AI — especially generative AI — can revolutionize a business.
But if they’re not secure, AI deployments can lead to more problems than benefits. Without proper safeguards, AI can introduce vulnerabilities that open the door to cybercriminals rather than strengthen defenses.
AI adoption outpaces security readiness
The appetite for AI is undeniable. According to EY, 92% of technology leaders expected to increase AI spending in 2025, a 10% increase over 2024. Agentic AI is emerging as a particularly transformative frontier, with 69% of technology leaders saying their organizations need it to stay competitive.
Unfortunately, organizations aren’t thinking enough about security. The World Economic Forum (WEF) reports that 66% of organizations believe AI will significantly affect cybersecurity in the next 12 months, but only 37% have processes in place to assess AI security before deployment. Smaller businesses are even more exposed—69% lack safeguards for secure AI deployment, such as monitoring training data or inventorying AI assets.
Accenture finds similar gaps: 77% of organizations lack foundational data and AI security practices, and only 20% express confidence in their ability to secure generative AI models.
In practice, that means most enterprises are embracing AI with little assurance that their systems and data are truly protected.
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Why insecure AI deployments are dangerous
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