55% of Companies Have Implemented AI-Powered Cybersecurity

The share of chief operating officers (COOs) who report that their companies have implemented artificial intelligence (AI)-powered automated cybersecurity management systems has increased threefold since earlier this year.

The increase brought the share of such COOs to 55% in August, up from about 17% in May, according to the December edition of the PYMNTS Intelligence report, “The AI MonitorEdge Report: COOs Leverage GenAI to Reduce Data Security Losses.”

Each of the COOs surveyed for the report represents an organization that generates more than $1 billion in annual revenue.

AI Boosts Security Amid Sophisticated Attacks

These COOs are relying on GenAI-driven solutions to improve cybersecurity management at a time when companies face the threat of cyberattacks that are growing more sophisticated, according to the report.

They are moving to proactive, AI-driven frameworks — and away from reactive security approaches — because the new AI-based systems can identify fraudulent activities, detect anomalies and provide real-time threat assessments.

These features have made AI an essential tool for protecting organizations from security breaches and fraud, in the view of COOs.

AI-Powered Cybersecurity Saves Revenue

COOs are confident in AI’s ability to help companies with both immediate challenges and long-term opportunities for growth and innovation, per the report.

Those at organizations that leverage GenAI to run cybersecurity management systems estimate they saved 5.9% of annual revenue in the past 12 months. Among those reporting very positive return on investment (ROI), the estimated share of annual revenue saved is 7.7%.

COOs with firms that use the technology for high-impact tasks like data security expect AI’s ROI to be very positive in 5.6 years and expect that the technology will be fully embedded in their organizations in 6.9 years.

Automating Security Response

AI is transforming how security teams handle cyberthreats. The technology automates the initial stages of incident investigation by analyzing vast amounts of data, and speeds up response times by allowing security professionals to begin their work with a clear understanding of the situation, PYMNTS reported in March.

Companies are adopting this technology amid an AI-driven escalation of threats in which cybercriminals have been loading up their arsenal of AI-powered scams and frauds, PYMNTS reported Dec. 2.

Amazon Chief Information Security Officer CJ Moses said that the eCommerce giant has seen hacking attempts increase more than sevenfold over the past six months in large part due to AI. Leveraging advanced AI tactics, cybercriminals are exploiting vulnerabilities at unprecedented speed and scale.

AI Enables ‘Proactive Approach’

The democratization of technologies like AI has made complex tools available to virtually anyone, making it easier for cybercriminals to carry out attacks, Chris Wyatt, chief strategy officer at Finexio, told PYMNTS in an interview posted in August.

That’s why the potential of AI to transform how companies manage their cybersecurity efforts is becoming so crucial, Wyatt said.

One example of how AI-powered cybersecurity tools can combat sophisticated AI-powered attacks is by analyzing URLs, emails and messages in real time to detect and block phishing attempts and social engineering attacks before they reach users, J Stephen Kowski, field CTO at SlashNext, told PYMNTS in an article posted in November.

“Advanced machine learning models can now understand the context and intent of communications, moving beyond simple pattern matching to identify threats that would bypass traditional security tools,” Kowski said. “This proactive approach represents a shift from reactive, signature-based detection to predictive threat prevention that adapts to new attack variations in real time.”