AI has topped the list of emerging trends that are likely to impact the enterprise security segment in 2024, according to a study by the security industry association (SIA).
The research that surveyed hundreds of security industry business leaders, including several volunteers and speakers from the 2023 Securing New Ground (SNG) conference, indicated a multifaceted penetration of AI in the security segment.
“Ninety-three percent said they expected to see generative artificial intelligence (AI) like ChatGPT make an impact upon their business strategies within the next 5 years, and over 89% said that they had AI projects active in their research and development (R&D) pipelines,” said the SIA report.
Other key trends outlined in the study include the expansion and evolution of security’s return on investment, the evolution of the integration business model, security as a service (SaaS), real estate re-optimization, and IT-OT convergence.
AI to make a multifaceted impact
The top deck (first four) of the list included AI-related trends that SIA expects will make a substantial impact in the segment in the coming year. Topping the list was AI security, which refers to the cybersecurity practices for the protection of data, IP, and corporate integrity with the adoption of AI into businesses of all sizes.
“AI has become more accessible over the past few years, being used for both — the good and the bad,” said Pankit Desai co-founder and chief executive officer at cybersecurity firm Sequretek. “From an attacker’s perspective, the AI-based attacks are much more efficient and difficult to spot out. For example, a social engineering attack being carried out with the help of AI technologies will have more convincing language, representation, and deepfakes.”
