PWC’S 2027 Global Digital Trust Insights report, surveying 3,934 business and tech leaders across 71 countries, finds that threats targeting AI systems are the area cybersecurity leaders feel least prepared to address. Adversarial AI attacks are identified by 52% of respondents as the biggest gap in cyber preparedness, a finding set against broader data- and governance-related challenges.
There is no single ownership model for AI risk management: 29% point to the CIO/CTO or technology function, 26% to a dedicated AI function or leader, and 17% to the CISO or cyber function. Notably, 33% of CEOs and security and risk leaders report they have appointed a dedicated AI role, such as a chief AI officer.
The report highlights data risk as a contributing factor, with about half of organisations having fully implemented data classification (49%) and data loss prevention (DLP) policies (48%). Organisations remain optimistic about AI’s role in security investments, with 84% of security and finance leaders expecting budgets to rise and 58% placing AI among the top-five cyber budget priorities. Practical focuses include responsible AI governance (42%), platform hardening (38%), and supply chain security (35%).
On defence, many organisations plan to deploy AI for protection, including threat detection and alerting (50%), fraud detection (43%), and phishing detection and response (42%). Skills shortages persist, with 44% of CISOs saying AI oversight and governance skills are a top barrier to greater AI agent autonomy, though more than half (53%) see AI-enabled training as a key lever to close the skills gap, alongside growth opportunities (59%) and strong cyber culture (53%).