Accenture: Closing the AI Security Maturity Gap

AI is transforming industries at breakneck speed. From automating back‑office functions to powering next‑generation products and services, AI technologies are shaping  businesses across all elements of their operations.

But, as it scales across enterprises, Accenture warns that AI is also creating a global cyber risk.

In its State of Cybersecurity Resilience 2025 report, Accenture reveals a sobering picture: just one in 10 organisations worldwide are prepared to counter AI‑driven cyberattacks. 

By contrast, 63% sit in what Accenture calls the ‘Exposed Zone’, meaning they lack both a cohesive cybersecurity strategy and the technical foundations needed to withstand modern threats.

"Rising geopolitical tensions, economic volatility and increasingly complex operational environments, coupled with AI-augmented attacks are leaving organisations more vulnerable to cyber risks,” says Paolo Dal Cin, Global Lead at Accenture Security, one of the report’s three authors.

“This report serves as a wake‑up call that cybersecurity can no longer be an afterthought. It must be embedded by design into every AI‑driven initiative.”

Is global cybersecurity at a turning point?

Accenture’s research is based on a global survey of 2,286 security and technology executives across 24 industries and 17 countries, representing some of the world’s largest organisations. 

Respondents fell into three maturity zones:

• Exposed Zone: Companies lacking both strategy and capability, leaving them highly vulnerable – 63% fall into this category
• Progressing Zone: Organisations, of which Accenture identified 27%, with strengths in either strategy or protection but fail to align the two effectively
• Reinvention‑Ready Zone: Accenture found just 10% of leading firms combine adaptive security strategies with strong technical defence. These companies are 69% less likely to fall victim to advanced AI‑powered attacks, enjoy 1.5 times higher success rates in blocking threats and report a 15% boost in customer trust

For organisations in the Reinvention‑Ready Zone, security has become a business enabler, not just a shield, Accenture says.

Emphasising how these gaps undermine cyber resilience, Accenture identifies several systemic shortcomings across global enterprises in its report.

Against a backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions, shifting regulations and increasingly complex supply chains, these gaps leave enterprises exposed to disruption. 

Co-author Daniel Kendzior, Global Data & AI Security Lead at Accenture, says: “The rapid advancement of generative AI represents a profound paradigm shift in cybersecurity, bringing unique challenges and opportunities. 

“By designing AI systems with security at their core and continuously monitoring and updating them, organisations can stay ahead of the most critical threats.

“Business resilience requires readiness to quickly respond to disruptive forces and confidence in your organization’s ability to act effectively.”

How can cybersecurity resilience be strengthened?

For those that find themselves falling short, Accenture identifies four critical steps companies must adopt to move towards the Reinvention‑Ready Zone.

Accenture’s advice:

• Govern with purpose: Build and deploy a fit‑for‑purpose security governance framework that aligns AI security to regulatory, ethical and business priorities, ensuring board‑level accountability, Accenture says
• Design secure digital cores: Accenture advises businesses embed resilience into every AI system from the outset, eliminating the inefficiencies of retrofitting defences and treating security as an enabler of innovation
• Maintain resilient foundations: By establishing continuous monitoring, independent model testing and AI‑specific incident response capabilities, Accenture says businesses will be able to address threats like deepfakes, model manipulation and AI‑powered worms.
• Reinvent security with AI: Deploy Gen AI as a force multiplier for cyber teams, Accenture advises. Automating threat detection, reducing analyst workloads and bridging the cyber talent gap are benefits that come as a result.

Despite issuing widespread advice, Accenture acknowledges that there are sharp variations in readiness across geographies.

The study finds that only 14% of North American and 11% of European organisations have mature cyber postures. It also identifies that 77% of Latin American companies remain in the Exposed Zone, while in Asia‑Pacific, 71% face serious operational and financial risks due to inadequate defences.

This geographic imbalance suggests that the majority of enterprises around the world are heading into an AI‑driven era of cyber threats under‑secured and under‑prepared.

Security as a strategic enabler

Accenture’s message is simple – treating cybersecurity as a compliance obligation is no longer sustainable. 

Instead, businesses that embed resilience into their AI strategies are already demonstrating greater operational visibility, stronger customer trust and improved returns on their AI investments.

Paolo says: “Taking this proactive approach will help ensure a competitive edge, strengthen customer loyalty and turn cybersecurity into a business enabler.”