PwC: AI Leads Cybersecurity Spending as Top Priority
▼ Summary
– AI is now the top investment priority in cybersecurity budgets, with 36% of executives ranking it in the top three priorities according to a PwC report.
– AI threat hunting capabilities (48%) and agentic AI solutions for efficiency (35%) are the most prioritized AI security capabilities by leaders.
– 78% of organizations expect their cyber budget to increase, and 60% are boosting investment due to the geopolitical landscape.
– A lack of knowledge (50%) and skills (41%) are key challenges in applying AI for cyber defense, prompting over half of organizations to prioritize AI tools to close gaps.
– Quantum computing is among the top five threats organizations are least prepared to address, following cloud, connected products, and third-party breaches.
A new report from PwC reveals that artificial intelligence now leads cybersecurity spending priorities for businesses planning their budgets over the next year. This shift underscores a strategic move toward AI-driven defense mechanisms as organizations seek more advanced protection against evolving digital threats.
Among business and technology executives surveyed, 36% identified AI-based security solutions among their top three budget priorities. This figure places AI ahead of other critical areas including cloud security at 34%, network security and zero trust architectures at 28%, data protection at 26%, and threat management systems at 24%. The data highlights a clear reallocation of resources toward intelligent, automated security infrastructures.
When examining specific AI capabilities, security leaders are focusing heavily on AI-powered threat hunting, with 48% prioritizing this function. Following closely, 35% are directing investments toward agentic AI solutions designed to streamline operations in domains like cloud security. These tools automate complex processes, enabling security teams to respond more swiftly to potential incidents.
Additional AI security functionalities are also gaining significant traction. Roughly one-third of security leaders emphasized the importance of AI in event detection and behavioral analytics, identity and access management systems, and vulnerability scanning and assessments. Each of these areas benefits from AI’s ability to analyze vast datasets and identify anomalies that might escape human notice.
The study, released on October 1, further indicates that 78% of organizations anticipate their cybersecurity budgets will grow in the coming year. A majority of respondents, 60%, attribute this increased investment to the current geopolitical climate, which has amplified perceptions of cyber risk across industries.
Despite these financial commitments, readiness remains a concern. Only 6% of organizations feel “very capable” of defending against cyber-attacks across all vulnerability categories in today’s geopolitical environment. This confidence gap suggests that while funding is rising, effective implementation remains a work in progress.
A significant barrier to leveraging AI in cyber defense is a widespread shortage of expertise. Half of the organizations cited a lack of understanding of AI technology as a primary challenge, while 41% pointed to a deficit in relevant skills. These gaps hinder the full adoption and optimization of AI security tools.
To address these shortcomings, 53% of organizations are prioritizing AI and machine learning tools specifically to close capability gaps. Other popular strategies include investing in security automation platforms (48%), consolidating cyber tools (47%), and upskilling or reskilling existing staff (47%).
Looking ahead, quantum computing emerged as one of the top five threats for which organizations feel least prepared. It ranked just behind cloud security risks, vulnerabilities in connected products, and third-party breaches, signaling a growing awareness of future technological risks that may outpace current defensive measures.
(Source: Info Security)
