Generative AI in cybersecurity

New defenses, new threats: What AI and Gen AI bring to cybersecurity

As cybersecurity incidents continue to rise, and threats like phishing, ransomware, and deep fakes become more sophisticated, organisations must strengthen their cybersecurity measures. 

In the latest report from the Capgemini Research Institute, New defenses, new threats: What AI and Gen AI bring to cybersecurity, explores the role that AI and Gen AI play in cybersecurity – both as a threat and a means of defense.

Our research shows that over 90% of organisations experienced a breach last year, a significant increase from 51% in 2021. The financial impact of these breaches over the last three years is severe, with around half of organisations reporting estimated losses exceeding $50 million.

Threat actors use AI and Gen AI for more sophisticated attacks, including malware creation, social engineering, and phishing. An overwhelming majority (97%) of organisations reported security incidents related to Gen AI in the past year. Organisations must contend with an expanded attack surface due to risks such as prompt injection, vulnerabilities in AI-integrated applications, shadow AI, and internal misuse. Further, the entire lifecycle of Gen AI solutions —from enterprise data collection and model customisation to development and maintenance —must be secured.

However, despite the cybersecurity challenges related to AI and Gen AI, organisations increasingly rely on AI to strengthen their security measures. Three in five believe AI is essential for effective threat response, and many are seeing improved threat detection times. More than 60% of organisations believe Gen AI will strengthen cybersecurity in the long term.

Many organisations already benefit from AI and experiment with Gen AI to generate threat intelligence and vulnerability assessments.

To safeguard operations, organisations must develop a clear strategy for integrating AI and Gen AI into existing security systems. This means continuously reassessing the security landscape to identify new risks, acquiring necessary infrastructure, including advanced data management systems and cloud computing resources, establishing robust policies and governance to ensure data safety and integrity, investing in AI and Gen AI-based solutions to enhance security operations centre (SOC) systems, providing comprehensive AI cybersecurity training for employees, and fostering a culture of risk awareness among employees.

Download the full report to learn more about how AI and Gen AI can transform your cybersecurity strategy.