AI is booming, but is your organisation secure enough to handle it?

AI adoption is accelerating across UK organisations, with 94% of IT decision-makers viewing it as a key part of their corporate strategy.

But as AI becomes more embedded in operations, a critical gap is emerging: security isn’t keeping pace.

In ANS’s latest report, AI Readiness Secured, we surveyed over 2,000 senior IT leaders to understand how organisations are approaching AI security.

The findings reveal a clear need for change.

Four key findings from our Security in AI report.

1. Security is lagging behind AI ambitions.

While enthusiasm for AI is high, many organisations aren’t building in security from the start. This creates vulnerabilities that can undermine the very benefits AI is meant to deliver.

With 68% of respondents saying AI is already embedded across functions, the attack surface is expanding—and so is the risk.

2. Only 29% see AI security as a strategic enabler.

Only 29% of organisations view security as a strategic enabler for AI. Instead, it’s often treated as a compliance requirement or cost centre. This mindset limits innovation and leaves systems exposed.

To unlock AI’s full potential, security must be reframed as a driver of trust, resilience, and safe innovation.

3. Investment perceptions don’t match reality.

Although 85% of respondents believe they’ve invested enough in AI security, only 42% take a proactive approach.

Many are equating spend with success, without aligning investment to actual risk. This creates a false sense of security—especially when employee training and secure-by-design practices are under-prioritised.

Oftentimes, it’s an accident waiting to happen.

4. Boards need to be brought on the journey.

91% of IT leaders say their boards understand the risks of AI adoption, but competing priorities and lack of commercial framing are major barriers to securing investment.

Without board-level sponsorship, security struggles to compete with growth-focused initiatives.

Closing the gap: what needs to change

To secure AI adoption at scale, organisations must:

Shift mindsets: Treat security as a growth enabler, not a blocker.
Align investment with risk: Move beyond budget benchmarks to risk-driven strategies.
Train people, not just systems: Employees remain the most targeted entry point for attackers.
Educate the board: Frame AI security in terms of business impact and resilience.

Security for AI cannot be an afterthought. It must be prioritised from the outset and sustained throughout adoption. Only then can organisations realise the full value of AI—safely, responsibly, and at scale.