Businesses in 2026: Maybe we should finally look into that AI security stuff

Steven

Businesses in 2026: Maybe we should finally look into that AI security stuff

Summary

The World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 shows a sharp rise in organisations assessing AI-tool security before deployment: 64% now perform checks, up from 37% a year earlier. Respondents overwhelmingly view AI as the main driver of cybersecurity change this year, and many report increased AI-related vulnerabilities. Geopolitical concerns and data-leak fears are shaping risk strategies, while differences persist between CEOs’ and CISOs’ priorities.

Key Points

  • 64% of business leaders now assess security risks of AI tools prior to deployment, up from 37% the previous year.
  • 94% say AI will be the most significant driver of cybersecurity change in 2026; 87% believe AI-related vulnerabilities have increased.
  • Data leaks and advancing adversarial capabilities are top leadership fears; geopolitical tensions heavily influence cyber risk planning.
  • Very large organisations (100,000+ employees) are far more likely to adjust security plans for geopolitics (91%) than small firms (59%).
  • CEOs worry most about cyber-enabled fraud and data leaks, while CISOs still rank ransomware and supply-chain attacks as their top concerns.
  • Only 19% of organisations believe they exceed minimum cyber-resilience standards; 64% meet baseline requirements.

Content Summary

The WEF survey paints a more optimistic picture than some recent industry glimpses: many organisations are starting to treat AI security as a formal part of their risk assessments. The article links that shift to a year full of AI-related vulnerabilities — prompt injections, code-assistant problems and vendor fixes — that kept security teams busy throughout 2025.

Geopolitics is a dominant factor in shaping cyber strategies, particularly for very large organisations. The report also highlights a split in priorities: executives focus on fraud and data leaks, whereas security leaders remain chiefly concerned with ransomware and supply-chain threats. The piece concludes that bolstering cyber resilience remains the key to limiting damage when attacks succeed.

Context and Relevance

This is important for IT, security and leadership teams because it signals a behavioural shift: organisations are moving from ad-hoc use of AI to actively assessing its risks. That trend dovetails with rising regulatory scrutiny, data-sovereignty concerns and a steady drumbeat of AI-specific security incidents. For any organisation deploying or evaluating AI, the findings suggest immediate steps to integrate security checks, incident planning and resilience into AI programmes.

Author style

Punchy: This isn’t just another stat — it’s a wake-up call. The near-doubling of firms doing AI security checks means the business world is finally taking the hard but necessary steps. If your organisation uses AI, the details here should prompt action, not complacency.

Why should I read this?

Look, here’s the gist: more firms are finally doing the boring but crucial work of checking AI for security holes. Read this if you want to avoid embarrassing data leaks, fines or a breach that lands on the front page. It’s short, relevant and likely to save you pain down the line.

Source

Source: https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/01/12/ai_security_wef_survey/