CIOs brace for AI threats while investing in AI defense

Introduction

For Chief Information Officers (CIOs), AI is both a problem and a solution. On one hand, it could help
them to increase their organization’s cyber resilience. On the other, adversaries are using it to deploy
increasingly sophisticated types of cyber attack. In LevelBlue’s latest cybersecurity research, we find
out how CIOs are tackling this challenge. Are they embedding a stronger culture of cyber resilience and
investing in proactive threat detection to prepare for the next phase of AI?

CIOs see AI as a way to build resilience

AI is creating business appetite for transformation, and CIOs have identified this as an opportunity to secure C-suite buy-in for new cyber-resilience measures. By framing the cyber-resilience conversation as an opportunity to support business growth and innovation, and reduce operating costs, they can build a robust business case for investment in AI security tools:

But CIOs say their organizations are not doing enough. Only one in five say they are highly effective at defending against cyber adversaries that are using AI techniques. And the same proportion say they are highly effective at implementing and using AI to enhance cybersecurity.

They are worried about the increasing sophistication of cybersecurity attacks and their organization’s
ability to defend itself. Two-thirds of CIOs say it is becoming more difficult for employees to identify what is real and what is fake. And nearly three-quarters (72%) say that implementing AI-driven cybersecurity tools will be essential for improving their organization’s threat detection and response
capabilities.

In 2026, CIOs have an opportunity to improve understanding of the risks and align the enterprise behind a response. About three-quarters (73%) say that media reports of high-profile breaches have pushed cybersecurity up the C-suite agenda. This increased awareness – combined with the business case outlined above – gives them a way to secure investment for cyber resilience from decision-makers.

CIOs believe that better collaboration increases resilience

Only one-third of CIOs describe alignment between cybersecurity teams and the wider business as “highly effective.” They seem keen to fix that. Our research shows that 49% will prioritize integrating cybersecurity into lines of business and across all projects over the next 12 months. This is their number-one ambition by a significant margin, and is well ahead of the 38% average across all leadership roles.

Another problem is the lack of top-down commitment to cyber resilience: 47% of CIOs say that executive leadership not prioritizing cyber resilience is a barrier to improvement. In response, they are targeting their senior peers as a way to change behaviors more broadly across the business: 39% will focus on increasing boardroom engagement in cyber resilience discussions over the next 12 months, compared with just 19% who are focusing on educating the workforce as a priority.

The data identifies exactly where better alignment with leadership teams could improve cyber resilience:

Underperforming in mergers and acquisitions is particularly risky because acquired environments often contain legacy systems, shadow IT, and undocumented software dependencies. Using AI, adversaries could exploit these post-acquisition weaknesses at scale.

CIOs are bracing for new types of attack

CIOs are taking the threat of attack far more seriously than the broader leadership team. Our data shows that they are more likely than other senior executives to believe that every type of attack will occur
in the next 12 months.

They are particularly concerned about AI-powered attacks: 51% say these are likely in the next 12 months, compared with only 42% of senior executives overall. But only one-third of CIOs say their organization is prepared to manage the threat.

That lack of preparation could come from misaligned investment strategy. CIOs are far more likely than senior executives overall to say they are committing moderate to significant investment in:

CIOs are in preparation mode. Over the next two years, 47% plan to work with incident response
specialists; just 23% have done this over the past 12 months. And 36% plan to work with threat intelligence providers in the next two years, compared with 26% over the past 12 months.

CIOs highlight software supply chain vulnerabilities as AI accelerates

More than half of CIOs (56%) believe that software supply chain attacks are imminent, and most say they
need to bolster software supply chain resilience. They are more likely than the other senior executives to say that this aspect of cyber resilience is high risk, and just 22% say they have a highly effective view of the software supply chain.

Asked about what is driving a need for better software supply chain visibility, CIOs say they are most concerned about source code. They want a better understanding of its origins and also to gain oversight of its integration quality. Regulation is another important reason to improve visibility: needing to complete the Software Bill of Materials (SBoM) is CIOs’ third most important factor.

CIOs are also wary of the risks third parties can create for the business:

They are already investing in measures to mitigate the risks: 70% of CIOs are making moderate to significant investment in enhanced software supply chain security. They are also optimistic about AI’s potential to help improve software supply chain management: just 25% say that the technology has introduced risk to the software supply chain since it was adopted.

Four ways for CIOs to prepare the organization for AI-powered cyber resilience

About LevelBlue

LevelBlue reduces risk and builds lasting resilience so organizations can innovate and advance their mission with confidence. As the world’s most analyst- recognized and largest pure-play managed security services provider, LevelBlue elevates client outcomes that matter: stronger defense, faster response, and sustained business continuity. LevelBlue combines AI-powered security operations, advanced threat intelligence, and elite human expertise to provide the most comprehensive portfolio of strategic advisory, managed security, offensive security, and incident response services. Learn more at levelblue.com.