AI-powered cyber threats are becoming the biggest worry for businesses everywhere

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Darktrace report finds four in five IT execs fear increasing use of AI in cyberattacks
Majority say they are now "adequately prepared" to respond to such threats
Skills shortage is keeping them down

Almost four in five Chief Information Security Officers (CISO) say Artificial Intelligence-powered (AI) threats are having a “significant impact” on their organization, new research has claimed.

The 2025 State of AI Cybersecurity report, released by Darktrace surveyed more than 1,500 cybersecurity professionals across 14 countries, finding 78% saw AI-powered threats as significant, up 5% from in 2024. These are being combined with increasing cybercrime-as-a-service solutions, as well as automation, resulting in more sophistication and diversity in attack techniques in ransomware, phishing, and other methods.

However, businesses are not sitting idly, the report added, as almost two-thirds of the respondents (60%) said they are “adequately prepared” to defend against these threats, up 15% year-on-year.

Unknown attackers

Darktrace added that the results could have been even better, were it not for insufficient AI knowledge and skills, and an acute shortage of personnel and talent.

"The impact of AI on cybersecurity is clear and increasing. There are more employees and enterprise applications using AI that must be protected. Adversaries are using it to make their attacks more targeted, scalable, and successful. All of this is unfolding in a highly volatile geopolitical environment that is creating more uncertainty," said Jill Popelka, CEO, Darktrace.

"There has never been a more urgent need for AI in the SOC to augment teams and pre-empt threats so organizations can build their cyber resilience.”

While almost all (95%) of surveyed professionals see AI as means to improve the speed and efficiency of their cybersecurity platforms, fewer than half (42%) said they fully understand the types of AI in their security stack.

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Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications.