Generative Ai Sparks Global Debate: Majority Adopt Tech Amid Cybersecurity Concerns

A recent survey of 1,022 security researchers and practitioners from around the world found that while many have adopted generative AI tools, they remain cautious about its potential benefits and risks. The top-ranked motivation for adopting generative AI is improving the ability to respond to and defend against cyberattacks, with only 39% of respondents believing that the rewards outweigh the risks.

Security professionals are concerned about data exposure to Large Language Models (LLMs) behind the AI products and attacks launched against generative AI tools. Other concerns include a lack of guardrails or controls in generative AI tools, AI hallucinations, and insufficient public policy regulations for generative AI use. To mitigate these risks, organizations must implement new security policies or develop existing ones to govern the use of generative AI within their next year.

Nearly all respondents (about 9 in 10) plan to take this step, with many automated security platforms offering generative AI assistants like Microsoft’s Security Copilot. These tools can help protect against cyber threats through threat detection and analysis, automated incident response, phishing detection, enhanced security analytics, synthetic data for training, and more.

However, organizations must consider safety and privacy controls as part of any generative AI purchase, failing to do so can expose vulnerabilities, generate harmful outputs, or violate privacy laws, leading to financial, legal, and reputational damage. Generative AI is not a silver bullet for improving cybersecurity outcomes, but rather a tool that requires careful consideration of its benefits and risks.

The survey highlights the need for organizations to understand the capabilities and limitations of generative AI and develop strategies to govern its use effectively. By doing so, they can leverage these tools to improve their cybersecurity posture while minimizing potential vulnerabilities.