The use of artificial intelligence (AI) by information technology (IT) professionals in the U.S. was analyzed in a recent report by GetApp. The report finds that 64% of IT and security professionals see AI as a vital defense against the growing sophistication of cyberattacks.

According to the report, 45% of U.S. respondents have identified AI solutions for network and cloud security as their top investment priorities for the coming year. In response to the rising complexity of threats, 80% of them anticipate increasing their cybersecurity budgets in 2025.

Survey insights prove the widespread adoption of AI-assisted cybersecurity tools, with 90% of U.S. companies using them in some capacity. AI-driven threat detection and monitoring stand out as the most used features, ahead of automation. Top functionalities include real-time monitoring (48%), advanced malware detection (46%), threat intelligence integration (43%), and routine task automation (41%).

To help IT leaders capitalize on AI’s full potential, the report offers three key recommendations for integrating AI into cybersecurity strategies:

• Plan around AI's cyberthreat prevention strengths: Clearly define the goals for AI usage and prioritize areas where AI can enhance protection, such as network security, cloud security, and threat detection.
• Prioritize human-in-the-loop (HITL) approaches: While AI can automate tasks and enhance protection, human intervention is necessary to avoid errors and ensure compliance with ethical AI principles. Provide sufficient security training to empower staff to effectively use AI tools.
• Get data AI-ready: Ensure the availability of quality data to train AI systems. Decide whether to use public or proprietary data sets and focus on data management and governance to organize data in a readable and error-free format.

Read the report