Key Findings
The smallest organizations are among the most conservative when it comes to adopting AI tools, with 23% reporting no plans to evaluate AI security tools.
31% of cybersecurity professionals believe that AI will create new types of entry- and junior-level roles or increase demand.
Mid-to-large (2,500–9,999 employees) and smaller (100–499 employees) organizations each have 33% adoption rates of AI tools.
Within both financial services and commercial/consumer sectors, 41% of professionals reported actively evaluating AI tools.
36% of those in the public sector indicated they are actively evaluating AI tools.
The top five areas where AI security tools are expected to have the most positive impact on operations in the shortest amount of time, by improving efficiencies and automating time-consuming tasks, are network monitoring and intrusion detection (60%), endpoint protection and response (56%), vulnerability management (50%), threat modeling (45%), and security testing (43%).
44% of cybersecurity professionals said that their organizations are actively reconsidering the roles and skills needed to support the adoption and use of AI security tools
Mid-sized (500–2,499 employees) and the smallest (1–99 employees) organizations show the lowest adoption rates of AI tools, with 20% in each group.
Among cybersecurity professionals who have already adopted AI security tools, 70% report positive impacts on their team's overall effectiveness.
Nearly half (44%) of cybersecurity professionals agreed that their organization's cybersecurity hiring has not yet been affected by the introduction of AI security tools.
21% of cybersecurity professionals say AI has changed their hiring plans and priorities in their organizations.
44% of cybersecurity professionals report no impact on hiring from current or expected adoption of AI security tools.
Leading industries in adoption, evaluation, or testing ot AI are industrial enterprises (38%), IT services (36%), commercial/consumer sectors (36%), and professional services organizations (34%).
More than half (52%) of cybersecurity professionals say AI will significantly or somewhat reduce the need for entry-level staff.
28% of cybersecurity professionals see AI creating new opportunities for entry-level talent.
The majority (42%) of cybersecurity professionals are currently exploring or testing the adoption of AI security tools.
Largest organizations (over 10,000 employees) lead in AI tool adoption, with 37% actively using them.
Financial services and the public sector currently report the lowest adoption rates of AI tools, at 21% and 16%, respectively.
30% of cybersecurity professionals are already using AI tools.
30% of cybersecurity professionals have already integrated AI security tools into their operations.