AI cyber readiness pulse: What organizations are prioritizing now
AI is changing the risks, responsibilities and capabilities cybersecurity teams need to manage. Infosec Institute asked security leaders, decision influencers and practitioners where their organizations stand today and what’s shaping their next AI cyber readiness priorities.
Explore the findings below or download the full report for a closer look at AI-related risks, capability priorities, implementation challenges and cybersecurity training.
AI cyber readiness at a glance
The results provide an informal snapshot of organizations currently working through AI cyber readiness challenges.
say employee AI use is creating the most urgency around AI cyber readiness
say AI phishing and deepfakes are a top concern
say AI data protection is a capability their team most needs to strengthen
say required baseline AI cybersecurity training has not yet been implemented
Based on an informal poll of 148 security leaders, decision influencers and practitioners conducted by Infosec Institute. The poll closed July 27, 2026.
Employee AI use is driving urgency
Employee AI use stands apart as the leading source of urgency around AI cyber readiness. 45.9% of respondents selected this option — more than three times the share of the next-highest response.
The pressure appears to stem from AI adoption already happening across the workforce, creating practical questions around acceptable use, data handling, visibility and training.
AI phishing, deepfakes and shadow AI lead concerns
Organizations are looking in two directions at once: toward AI-enhanced attacks from outside the organization and risks emerging from AI use within it.
50.7% of respondents cite AI phishing and deepfakes as a top concern, closely followed by shadow AI and data leaks at 48.0%. Governance and compliance gaps follow at 39.2%.
Data protection and governance top the capability list
As organizations determine how to respond, foundational readiness capabilities receive the most attention.
49.3% of respondents say AI data protection is among the areas their teams most need to strengthen. Governance and guardrails follow at 43.9%, with AI risk assessment at 38.5%.
Together, the findings point to a need to protect data, assess emerging risks and establish practical guardrails for AI use while continuing to build the necessary capabilities teams to secure AI-enabled environments.
AI cybersecurity training is still developing
For many organizations, workforce preparation has not yet reached a structured baseline.
68.2% of respondents say their organization has not implemented required baseline AI cybersecurity training. Their most structured approach currently ranges from no training at all to optional resources or AI use guidance.
Time and budget limits are the most common barrier, cited by 37.2% of respondents. Another 21.6% say skill needs are unclear, and 18.2% say AI-related risks change too quickly.
Get the full AI cyber readiness findings
The full AI Cyber Readiness Pulse report takes a closer look at how organizations are approaching AI-related risk, governance and workforce preparation — including additional findings on readiness stages, implementation challenges and training priorities.
From AI pressure to practical readiness
The findings point to three practical areas security leaders can address as AI adoption, risk and cybersecurity responsibilities continue to evolve.
Assess current AI use and exposure
Understand where your people use AI, what data it can access and which use cases create meaningful security or governance risk.
Adapt governance and team capabilities
Build policies and guardrails for employee AI use, and ensure teams have the capabilities to put those expectations into practice.
Build a structured training baseline
Establish practical guidance and baseline preparation, then deepen training for the roles responsible for securing, governing and using AI.
About the AI cyber readiness pulse poll
The AI cyber readiness pulse poll is an informal online poll conducted by Infosec Institute. It received 148 completed responses from security leaders, decision influencers and practitioners and closed July 27, 2026.
The findings reflect responses to this poll and should not be interpreted as representative of all cybersecurity professionals or organizations.
Build the AI cybersecurity capabilities your team needs next
AI is changing how cybersecurity work gets done. Explore role-based training to help your team apply AI, secure AI-powered systems and govern AI responsibly through certification boot camps, hands-on labs, on-demand courses and learning paths.