AI is reshaping cybersecurity landscape 

A new global survey by the World Economic Forum (WEF) reveals that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the cybersecurity landscape, bringing both opportunities and significant risks for organisations worldwide. The findings show that 87% of cybersecurity leaders observed an increase in AI-related security threats in 2025, signalling growing concern over vulnerabilities embedded in AI systems. 

Data leaks emerged as the top AI security risk, cited by 30% of respondents, followed closely by adversarial attacks at 28%. While 64% of organisations have introduced processes to evaluate the security of AI tools before deployment, many AI applications still lack sufficient safeguards, exposing enterprises to potential breaches.

Despite these risks, AI adoption in cybersecurity continues to expand. Around 77% of organisations have implemented AI-driven tools to strengthen defenses. The most common uses include phishing and email threat detection (52%), intrusion and anomaly detection (46%), automation of security operations (43%), insider threat monitoring (40%), and threat intelligence analysis (39%).

However, companies face notable challenges in adopting AI effectively. More than half of respondents reported skill gaps and limited expertise, while others cited difficulties validating AI outputs, budget constraints, and unclear business value.

Beyond AI-specific threats, broader cyber risks are also escalating. About 77% of respondents reported increased cyber-enabled fraud and phishing incidents over the past year. Supply chain vulnerabilities (65%), software weaknesses (58%), and ransomware attacks (54%) were also flagged as major concerns.

Although many organisations believe their workforce have adequate skills, rapidly evolving technologies and an expanding attack surface remain significant hurdles. Experts warn that the absence of strong governance frameworks for AI security could leave companies exposed. As AI agents become more widespread, cybersecurity teams may struggle to keep pace, potentially setting the stage for major breaches if stronger controls are not implemented soon.