Summary Bullets:

• In a survey of 2,286 technology and security-focused executives, Accenture reports that only 34% have a mature cybersecurity strategy.
• Just 20% say they are confident in their ability to protect their generative AI (GenAI) models from a breach.

Artificial intelligence (AI) presents as a double-edged sword for many enterprises. The technology has the potential to revolutionize business processes and drive further innovation but is protecting the model from advancing threats that could compromise the integrity of data output. This is a daunting challenge that few organizations have a handle on today. Add threat actors harnessing AI for their own nefarious purposes to the mix, and the situation becomes much more daunting for the enterprise.

Accenture surveyed 2,286 executives, 80% of whom are chief information security officers (CISOs), and it uncovered a perilous scenario where enterprises are largely unready to protect their assets, including AI applications, from emerging threats. Just 20% of those surveyed say they are ready to defend their generative AI (GenAI) models from cyber threats.

One of the issues enterprises are running into with respect to their security postures in general is the prioritization of AI development and deployment over other IT investments, which often means security falls by the wayside. Between 2023 and 2024, Accenture reports that investments in GenAI projects are 1.6 times higher than security spending. If this trend continues, there is a risk that AI systems built on less than secure ground are vulnerable to cyber threats. Only 28% of the executives surveyed say they are integrating security capabilities into all transformative projects from the earliest development phases. Only 42% say they are mapping security development spending to AI development.

The news is not all bleak. For organizations that prioritize cybersecurity investments and focus on infrastructure resilience as they conduct transformational projects to create elevated security postures that mitigate serious risks. Enterprises that achieve what Accenture terms a ‘Reinvention-Ready Zone’ classification faces a 69% lower risk of the kind of sophisticated cyberattacks that leverage advanced techniques, including AI to cripple operations.

The investment in security brings other dividends. Accenture found organizations that prioritize security spending achieve a 1.7 times lower technical debt due in large part to the overall efficiency and resilience of their infrastructure.

The clear takeaway is that enterprises need to balance their AI infrastructure investments with their security spending to ensure the most protected, consistent, and high-performing environment possible.