In today's cybersecurity battlefield, the rapid rise of AI is placing unprecedented pressure on security operations teams. According to a recent survey of 500 senior cybersecurity experts from large U.S. enterprises, 86% of respondents increased their use of AI technology over the past year to counter the growing number of AI-driven attacks. While AI tools have helped security teams in threat detection and data analysis, a concerning 70% of professionals believe that AI and other emerging technologies are exacerbating their work fatigue.
The survey results come from the 2025 "SecOps Voice Report," covering multiple fields such as finance, technology, manufacturing, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure. Although AI tools have simplified some aspects of security operations to a certain extent, with 75% of companies using generative AI tools in their security workflows, these tools save an average of 12 hours per week for businesses, the speed of technological change remains overwhelming for already understaffed security teams, adding more pressure.
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Meanwhile, cyber attackers are quickly adapting and utilizing AI technology for their attacks. Over the past year, 38% of organizations encountered AI-driven cyberattacks, resulting in severe consequences such as data theft, financial loss, and reputational damage. In particular, organizations in key infrastructure sectors like energy, utilities, and transportation were hit harder, with 50% experiencing AI-driven attacks. As Carl Froggett, CIO of Deep Instinct, noted, the current cybersecurity landscape clearly favors attackers, who can exploit unregulated AI technologies with low risk while defenders struggle to catch up under resource constraints.
Although public sector and healthcare organizations reported fewer AI attack incidents, the report suggests this may reflect a lack of awareness of potential risks. Additionally, the threats of targeted phishing attacks and deepfake fraud are on the rise. The survey also found that nearly 83% of respondents worry about malicious files being uploaded to cloud storage platforms, even though many organizations still underestimate serious threats like zero-day attacks.
In addressing AI-driven threats, more than 80% of organizations have shifted their focus to prevention, up from 73% in 2024. This shift is partly driven by executive leadership, which seeks to take action before threats reach the network rather than after remediation. Most organizations are investing in new technologies, expanding external partnerships, or developing internal security capabilities, with only 2% indicating they are taking no measures at all.
