NTT DATA has released a new research titled “The AI Security Balancing Act: From Risk to Innovation,” which highlights the cybersecurity risks and opportunities associated with AI. The results reveal a disconnect between C-Suite executives’ operational preparedness for GenAI deployment and their business objectives.
CISOs and operational leaders lack the necessary guidance, clarity, and resources to fully address security risks and infrastructure challenges associated with deployment, despite CEOs and business leaders’ commitment to GenAI adoption, according to the report, which incorporates data from an NTT DATA survey of more than 2,300 senior GenAI decision makers, including 1,500 *C-Suite leaders across 34 countries.
The C-Suite disconnect
Over the next two years, almost all C-Suite executives (99%) want to make additional investments in GenAI, with 67% of CEOs making major commitments.
Organizations identify increased security as one of the top three commercial benefits of implementing GenAI in the past 12 months, and 95% of CIOs and CTOs say that GenAI has either led to or will lead to higher cybersecurity investments.
Despite this hope, there is a clear gap between strategic goals and operational implementation, as almost half of CISOs (45%) have unfavorable opinions about the use of GenAI.
There is a glaring lack of leadership alignment as only 20% of CEOs express the same concern that corporate standards or policies regarding GenAI responsibilities are unclear, despite the fact that more than half (54%) of CISOs agree.
Security teams recognize the commercial advantages of GenAI, despite their hesitancy over its implementation. Despite their negative opinions, 81% of senior IT security leaders still believe that GenAI will increase productivity and have an effect on the bottom line.
Organizational operations not ready for GenAI
The study conducted by NTT DATA also shows a significant disconnect between the teams’ skills and the leadership’s goals. 69% of CISOs admit that their teams lack the expertise needed to use GenAI, despite 97% of them identifying as decision makers on the topic.
Furthermore, compared to 51% of CEOs, only 38% of CISOs feel their cybersecurity and GenAI strategies are in sync.
Complicating matters further, only 24% of CISOs strongly feel that their company has a good framework for striking a balance between risk and value development, and 72% of enterprises questioned still do not have a written GenAI usage strategy.
Legacy tech limiting GenAI adoption
Beyond internal misalignment, 88% of security leaders said legacy infrastructure is greatly affecting business agility and GenAI readiness, with modernizing IoT, 5G and edge computing identified as essential for future progress.
To navigate these obstacles, 64% of CISOs are prioritizing co-innovation with strategic IT partners rather than relying on standalone AI solutions. Notably, security leaders #1 top criteria when assessing GenAI technology partners is end-to-end GenAI service offerings.
“As organizations accelerate GenAI adoption, cybersecurity must be embedded from the outset to reinforce resilience. While CEOs champion innovation, ensuring seamless collaboration between cybersecurity and business strategy is critical to mitigating emerging risks,” said Sheetal Mehta, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Cybersecurity at NTT DATA, Inc. “A secure and scalable approach to GenAI requires proactive alignment, modern infrastructure and trusted co-innovation to protect enterprises from emerging threats while unlocking AI’s full potential.”
“Collaboration is highly valued by line-of-business leaders in their relationships with CISOs. However, disconnects remain, with gaps between the organization’s desired risk posture and its current cybersecurity capabilities,” said Craig Robinson, Research Vice President, Security Services at IDC. “While the use of GenAI clearly provides benefits to the enterprise, CISOs and Global Risk and Compliance leaders struggle to communicate the need for proper governance and guardrails, making alignment with business leaders essential for implementation.”
Download the full report here, and visit the website to learn more about NTT DATA’s AI services for cybersecurity.
