A recently conducted survey by Sophos reveals that 65% of organizations have adopted generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in their cybersecurity measures, with a significant 89% of IT leaders concerned about potential vulnerabilities these AI-powered tools might introduce.

The report, titled “Beyond the Hype: The Business Reality of AI for Cybersecurity,” surveyed 400 IT leaders to assess the integration of AI in security infrastructures.

Notably, 98% of respondents confirmed the use of AI in their cybersecurity systems. However, concerns persist about over-reliance on these technologies.

One major apprehension is that organizations might lose cybersecurity accountability by depending too much on AI. Additionally, 84% of IT leaders fear that unrealistic expectations of AI could lead to reductions in cybersecurity personnel.

On the other side, cybercriminals are also exploring AI to enhance their attacks. The FBI has warned that malicious actors are leveraging AI tools to conduct highly targeted phishing campaigns, exploiting the trust of individuals and organizations alike.

Chester Wisniewski, Global Field CTO at Sophos, emphasizes the importance of human oversight: “The potential of GenAI to accelerate security workloads is amazing, but it still requires human oversight to ensure its effectiveness.

We haven’t taught machines to think; we’ve just given them the ability to process large amounts of data faster.”