- Nearly two-thirds of companies assess AI risks before deploying tools, up from last year.
- Businesses are also turning to AI to respond to threats
- Phishing still leads, but AI accelerates it
The World Economic Forum (WEF) revealed a positive trend in the world of AI: businesses are finally taking steps to address AI-related security risks, with nearly two in three (64%) now assessing risks before deploying tools (up from 37% last year).
When it comes to their cybersecurity strategies overall, almost all (94%) agree that AI tools will be the primary driver of change in 2026.
This comes from the 2026 version of the Global Cybersecurity Outlook, published in collaboration with Accenture.
AI and cybersecurity strategies are finally being developed hand in hand
The reported changes in attitudes are likely driven by the fact that 87% of respondents believe AI-related vulnerabilities have increased. Data leaks (34%) are CEOs’ biggest concerns, technical security of AI systems has seen the biggest increase (13% in 2026 vs. 5% in 2025), and advancement of adversarial capabilities has seen the biggest decline (29% in 2026 vs. 47% in 2025), although it is the second biggest concern.
Today, approximately two-thirds (64%) of organizations are considering geopolitically motivated attacks, with many moving toward sovereign cloud options. However, there are differences in how leaders view AI threats. CEOs now cite fraud and AI vulnerabilities as their biggest concerns, but CISOs are more concerned about ransomware and supply chain disruptions. Both types of executives cited exploiting software vulnerabilities as their third concern.
Although there is widespread agreement that AI-related threats are increasing, businesses are still turning to AI to respond to them. Three-quarters (77%) now use AI for cybersecurity, with the most common applications being phishing detection (52%), intrusion detection (46%), and security operations automation (43%).
On the other hand, lack of skills (54%), need for human validation (41%), and uncertainty about risks (39%) are the main barriers to using AI in cybersecurity.
Looking ahead, the WEF believes that high-convincing phishing, deepfake scams, and automated social engineering will become the biggest AI-driven threats. But while AI can speed them up, the most common attack method remains phishing – something that hasn’t fundamentally changed in a long time.
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