The Impact of AI on Cyber Resilience Across Multiple Sectors

The adoption of AI technologies has created a cyber resilience gap among global organisations, according to new research from LevelBlue, a joint venture between WillJam Ventures and US telecommunications multinational AT&T.

The 2025 LevelBlue Futures Report, which surveyed 1,500 C-suite and senior executives across 14 countries and seven industries, found that whilst business leaders acknowledge the inevitability of AI-powered cyber threats, most lack adequate defence capabilities.

Only 29% of executives report feeling prepared for AI-driven attacks, despite 42% anticipating such incidents in the near future.

This gap between expectation and readiness presents a growing concern as AI technologies become more sophisticated.

The report surveyed leaders from energy and utilities, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, transportation and US state, local government and higher education sectors.

“In 2025, AI is forcing organisations to pivot once again,” says Theresa Lanowitz, Chief Evangelist at AT&T Cybersecurity and LevelBlue.

“Our research shows that leaders are becoming more aware of the threats they face and elevating cyber resilience measures accordingly.

“However, they still underestimate the potential risk of AI-powered cyberattacks and have extensive work ahead to properly prepare and protect themselves.”

Deepfake concerns growing alongside protection gaps

Among the specific threats identified in the report, deepfakes – synthetic media where a person's likeness is replaced with someone else's using AI – and synthetic identity attacks rank highest in executive concerns.

Only 32% of leaders believe their organisations are ready to counter deepfake threats, despite 44% expecting to face such attacks.

Furthermore, the increasing sophistication of AI-enabled attacks has created difficulties for staff, with 59% of executives acknowledging that employees struggle to distinguish legitimate security threats from regular activity.

“Computing is advancing at blistering speeds,” LevelBlue states in the report.

“With so much change, there must be a balance of innovation and risk – this means aligning the priorities of the line of business and cybersecurity.

“We discovered that AI is a disrupting force in 2025, but only 29% of leaders admit they are prepared for AI-powered threats.”

However, despite these concerns, reluctance to adopt AI tools due to cybersecurity risks remains limited, with just 29% of executives expressing hesitation.

This statistic suggests that the pace of AI innovation continues to outstrip the development of security strategies capable of mitigating AI-generated threats.

Boardroom engagement rising with cyber resilience gains 

The concept of cyber resilience has gained traction at executive levels over the past year, according to LevelBlue's findings.

The proportion of executives who view cyber resilience as a company-wide priority has increased from 27% to 45% in the past 12 months.

Additionally, two-thirds report that cybersecurity teams now work in alignment with business units, representing a shift from traditional siloed approaches to security.

This alignment appears to create more opportunities for innovation, with 79% of cyber-resilient organisations reporting that their adaptive cybersecurity approach enables greater innovation and risk-taking.

Boardroom engagement has also increased, with 43 % of leaders in cyber-resilient organisations noting more frequent discussions of resilience at board level.

The report recommends four specific approaches to achieve cyber resilience:

• Pushing cyber resilience up the organisation
• Embedding cybersecurity responsibilities throughout the organisation
• Adopting proactive rather than reactive security measures
• Prioritising resilience in the software supply chain
  

By aligning leadership, investing in proactive defences and embedding resilience throughout the enterprise, LevelBlue suggests organisations can better prepare for the next wave of AI-powered threats.

“Our research shows that leaders are becoming more aware of the threats they face and elevating cyber resilience measures accordingly,” Theresa adds.

“However, they still underestimate the potential risk of AI-powered cyberattacks and have extensive work ahead to properly prepare and protect themselves.”

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