Businesses worldwide are lagging in their efforts to adopt new technologies for defense against evolving digital threats, according to a report by PwC. The 2027 Global Digital Trust Insights report surveyed nearly 4,000 business and technology leaders across over 70 nations to assess industry responses to the rapidly changing digital landscape, with artificial intelligence (AI) being a focal point.
AI: A Double-Edged Sword
The report places AI at the forefront of current cybersecurity challenges. While the speed and volume of AI-assisted cyberattacks are expected to increase, many leaders are most concerned about attacks targeting their own AI systems. A significant portion of respondents expressed unpreparedness for threats such as autonomous botnets and data poisoning, each cited by over half of the survey participants.
In a statement from OpenAI in 2025, it was noted that prompt engineering, similar to social engineering, may never be fully resolved. Known as prompt injection when exploited by attackers, these attacks can lead to data leaks or unauthorized command executions, and they topped the OWASP 2025 list of LLM application threats.
Challenges in Autonomous Defense
AI is hailed as the top tool for threat detection and alerting in cybersecurity. Despite this, only 22% of leaders are ready to implement fully autonomous AI agents for cyber defense without human intervention. Concerns about the reliability and maturity of AI systems, along with skills shortages in AI oversight, are significant barriers to adoption.
The survey results suggest that as AI-assisted attacks advance, the necessity for autonomous defenses will grow. These defenses, if not employed, could leave organizations susceptible to repeated breaches, despite the potential increase in attack surfaces.
Preparing for Quantum Computing Challenges
Quantum technology presents another looming threat to current encryption methods. With the capability of quantum computers to break traditional encryption, the concept of ‘harvest now, decrypt later’ is gaining traction. However, only 21% of surveyed organizations are implementing quantum-resistant security measures, despite the urgency highlighted by PwC.
The survey underscores a critical global issue: the need for organizations to adopt robust cybersecurity measures. According to Morgan Adamski, PwC’s leader in cyber, data, and technology risk, it is vital to build strong cybersecurity foundations to keep pace with rapid technological advancements.
Overall, the report stresses the need for companies to prioritize cybersecurity by enhancing data protection, ensuring operational continuity, and maintaining clear accountability and hygiene practices. Failure to do so could result in vulnerabilities that compromise organizational resilience in the face of fast-evolving cyber threats.
