While Artificial Intelligence isn’t necessarily a new technology, the ease and accessibility of Generative AI has opened a passageway that allows all end users, whether they are in an IT or business function, to effectively use AI-enabled tools. With this brings risks. Non-tech savvy individuals are lured into experimenting with tools and platforms that quickly take and analyze imported data, ideas, and images without always carrying out their due diligence because of the efficient and creative hype around AI. But will the outcomes align with company messaging? Will company data be kept safe? Brand security, cyber security, and physical security are all potentially at risk.

Benefits seen, but there is still work to be done

This is not to say that AI-enabled tools do not provide vast benefits. In fact, according to Foundry’s soon to be released security research, 98% of IT decision-makers have seen benefits from AI-enabled security technologies utilized by their organization, which is up from 73% in 2023. The main benefits experienced are reduced employee workload, faster remediation of threats, and faster identification of unknown threats.

It does mean, though, that organizations need to put more guidelines in place around the use of AI and prepare for imminent threats. Businesses are currently falling short in this area as only 36% of IT decision-makers agree that their organization has a policy in place to monitor the use of Gen AI (Foundry AI Priorities Study, 2023.) Technology vendors who have added or are looking to add AI capabilities to their solutions, should consider this when engaging with their customers. Make sure you’re providing materials and messaging that educate tech leaders on how your solution integrates with their existing technology stack and the end-user training your company provides.

Role of the security decision-maker expanding due to AI

Close to three-quarters (72%) of security decision-makers say that their role has expanded to include additional responsibilities over the past 12 months (CSO Security Priorities Study, 2024.) The third reported responsibility that they have taken on is securing AI-enabled technologies. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the security team is using more AI tools, it means that AI-enabled tools are vastly used within their organization and much of their time is now spent making sure these tools are secured.

Going back to the initial point of, do we really know what happens to our data once we import it into an open AI tool? This is what security leaders are now having to constantly think about. And this is likely to continue as 62% of security decision-makers report that they are either actively researching or piloting AI-enabled technologies and 49% expect their spending to increase towards this area over the next 12 months.

With all this added responsibility, it’s up to tech vendors and marketers to make the job of the security professional easier. When creating content, make sure it speaks to their topical needs, is written in an easily digestible format, and can be found where they do their research. It is also known that 74% of ITDMs are more likely to engage with a variety of content if it is presented in an organized experience. Connect with your security audience on the sites that they visit and at the educational, industry events that they attend.

Where are the areas of opportunity for vendors?

To no surprise, 59% of security decision-makers say that their organization is more likely to consider a security solution that uses AI, which is up from 52% last year. They are also expecting AI enhancements as part of their existing security solutions, however they are willing to pay a premium to access these tools to meet their specific security needs. The areas where security decision-makers are really looking to leverage AI are threat detection, real-time risk prediction, alert and triage automation, and malware detection.

When selecting an AI-enabled security solution, security buyers are evaluating based on the business value of the solution, security incident record/reputation, cost/pricing, and product innovation. Taking these factors into account along with the areas where security decision-makers are planning to use AI should provide a solid roadmap for vendors and marketers when planning their product and promotion strategies. Explore Foundry’s marketing solutions to learn how we can help you engage security influencers along every stage of their buying process.