- Nearly two-thirds of companies assess AI risks before implementing tools, up from last year
- Businesses are also turning to artificial intelligence to respond to threats
- Phishing is still at the top, but AI is accelerating it
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has revealed a positive trend in the world of AI – with companies finally taking steps to address the security risks of AI, as nearly two in three (64%) now assess the risks before deploying tools (up from 37% last year).
When it comes to their cybersecurity strategies as a whole, nearly all (94%) agree that AI tools will be the biggest driver of change in 2026.
This comes from the 2026 version of the Global Cybersecurity Outlook, published in partnership with Accenture.
AI and cybersecurity strategies are finally evolving hand in hand
The reported attitudinal changes are likely prompted by the fact that 87% believe AI-related vulnerabilities have increased. Data leaks (34%) are CEOs’ top concerns, technical security of AI systems saw the biggest increase (13% in 2026 vs. 5% in 2025), and the development of adversarial capabilities saw the biggest decline (29% in 2026 vs. 47% in 2025), despite being the second biggest concern.
Today, roughly two-thirds (64%) of organizations are considering geopolitically motivated attacks, and many are moving toward sovereign cloud options. Still, there are differences in how the C-suite perceives AI threats. CEOs now cite fraud and AI vulnerabilities as their top concerns, but CISOs are most concerned about ransomware and supply chain disruptions. Both manager types noted exploiting software vulnerabilities as their third biggest concern.
Despite widespread agreement that AI-enabled threats have increased, businesses are still turning to AI to respond. Three-quarters (77%) now use artificial intelligence for cyber security, with the most common applications being phishing detection (52%), intrusion detection (46%) and automation of security operations (43%).
On the flip side, lack of skills (54%), the need for human validation (41%) and uncertainty about risks (39%) are the main barriers to using AI in cybersecurity.
Looking ahead, the WEF sees very compelling phishing, deepfake scams and automated social engineering becoming the biggest AI-enabled threats. But while AI may be accelerating them, the most common attack method remains phishing – something that hasn’t changed at its core for a long time.
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