Briefing Overview

  • The rapid development of AI is increasing pressure on enterprise network infrastructure, and IT executives are deeply concerned about the cybersecurity consequences of network transformation and expansion.
  • Cisco noted in a recent report that "respondents identified security complexity as the biggest challenge brought by AI-driven network demands."
  • The report found that security concerns constitute a "direct obstacle to AI scaling," as organizations are reluctant to proceed if they believe expanding AI applications will increase the risk of hacker attacks.

Deep Insights

Cisco's report provides a window into the security concerns affecting enterprise AI adoption, while also revealing organizations' expectations for future trends in AI-driven cyberattacks.

Cybersecurity concerns are one of the main reasons organizations believe they need to modernize their networks to support AI tools, with 72% of IT leaders citing "increased security risks or expanded attack surfaces" as a driving factor.

Meanwhile, more than three-quarters of respondents expect AI security risks to rise as enterprises expand AI applications beyond generative activities. A similar proportion of respondents said AI "has already expanded their attack surface over the past 12 months."

Another concerning finding: 71% of IT leaders expect the evolution of AI threats to "outpace existing security controls."

"We are just playing catch-up right now," a senior IT executive in the UK education sector told interviewers.

Nearly 70% of respondents told Cisco they are seeing an increasing number of blind spots on their networks, which limits their ability to monitor and block suspicious activity.

Cisco's report is based on a survey of 3,472 CIOs and other technology leaders worldwide conducted between March and April 2026.

"Respondents pointed to expanded attack surfaces, shadow AI activity, inconsistent policy enforcement, and limited visibility into how AI-driven traffic moves across enterprise environments as key factors contributing to hesitation around AI adoption," Cisco analysts wrote.

In some organizations, the proliferation of AI tools has overwhelmed security teams. A retail industry executive told interviewers: "From a security perspective, the problem is that it's difficult to establish guardrails for every AI tool the organization must use."

Nearly 90% of IT leaders said they have added security controls for their AI tools, but many are unsure whether these controls are sufficient—61% said they are waiting for "greater confidence in their security posture" before scaling their organization's AI applications.

Organizations using AI face multiple trade-offs involving security, speed, efficiency, and control, because AI tools operate at machine speed, AI agents can access sensitive data, and shadow AI operates beyond the reach of security teams.

"Vulnerabilities that once caused only minor operational issues can now lead to significant governance and security exposures in environments where AI systems continuously generate activity across distributed networks," Cisco said.