AI-Related Vulnerabilities Cited as Fastest-Growing Cybersecurity Risk in WEF Report

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming cybersecurity, says the Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 report from the World Economic Forum (WEF), strengthening cyber defense on one side while enabling more sophisticated attacks on the other.

According to 94% of survey respondents, AI is anticipated to be the most significant driver of change in cybersecurity in 2026. Additionally:

• 87% of respondents identified AI-related vulnerabilities as the fastest-growing cyber risk.
• 64% of organizations now have a process in place to assess the security of AI tools before deploying them (up from 37% from last year).

Geopolitical volatility – including sovereignty concerns – is another key factor shaping cybersecurity strategies, as:

• 91% of large organizations (>100,000) have changed their cybersecurity strategies due to geopolitical volatility, while 59% of smaller organizations (<1000 employees) have done so.
• 64% of organizations are now accounting for geopolitically motivated cyberattacks – such as disruption of critical infrastructure or espionage – in their risk mitigation strategies.

“Cybersecurity risk in 2026 is accelerating, fueled by advances in AI, deepening geopolitical fragmentation and the complexity of supply chains,” the report states.

Read the complete report at WEF.