Australian firms embed AI at the core of new cybersecurity era

Australia's corporate sector is rapidly increasing its use of artificial intelligence (AI) in cybersecurity, with new analysis indicating that 91 per cent of organisations now rely on AI to enhance threat detection, bolster response efforts, and manage ongoing operations. The findings come from a recent study conducted by IDC, based on a survey of IT and security leaders across the region.

Wider adoption

The survey shows a shift from early experimentation to embedding AI at the core of cybersecurity. Enterprises have moved beyond simply testing AI-powered detection tools. Many are now applying AI in prediction, incident response, threat intelligence, and behavioural analytics. The more advanced use cases indicate that basic AI detection alone is no longer regarded as sufficient in light of new and adaptive cyber threats.

Despite the enthusiasm for AI, confidence in fully autonomous or hands-off solutions remains limited. GenAI technologies are currently used for light-touch tasks such as running playbooks, updating security policies, and assisting investigations. More critical interventions, like automatic remediation of threats, are still typically overseen by human teams.

Threat landscape

AI is reshaping both defensive and offensive cyber operations. Around half of surveyed Australian organisations reported encountering AI-powered cyber threats over the past year. Of those, more than three-quarters observed the volume of threats at least doubling, with a smaller group seeing threats triple. The study flagged that these attacks frequently exploit weaknesses in enterprise visibility, governance, and internal procedures, making traditional detection methods significantly less effective.

Workforce demand

The growing focus on AI is impacting recruitment and team design. Security data scientists, threat intelligence analysts, AI security engineers, security researchers, and incident response professionals with AI expertise are now among the most sought-after roles. The report noted that the transition is not only about deploying AI tools, but also about building teams with the skills to interpret, manage, and evolve AI systems as a core part of security operations.

Investment strategy

Overall, 84 per cent of organisations reported increased cybersecurity budgets, though most of these increases were limited to less than five per cent. Investment is prioritised for identity security, network security, secure access service edge (SASE), zero trust solutions, cyber resilience, and cloud-native application protection. The trend reflects a continued move away from infrastructure-centric spending, focusing instead on areas seen as directly addressing the fast-changing risks introduced by AI-enabled threats.

Resource pressures

Despite higher budgets and AI integration, many Australian organisations remain under-resourced. A small proportion of all staff are deployed in IT roles, and an even smaller share specialise in cybersecurity. Only a minority maintain a dedicated chief information security officer, and even fewer have stand-alone teams for security operations and threat hunting. The report found that this shortfall contributes to team burnout and operational complexity as the threat landscape intensifies.

Consolidation trends

Organisations are increasingly adopting consolidated and converged security frameworks to manage complexity and improve operational efficiency. Nearly nine in ten surveyed are either actively merging security functions with networking or evaluating how best to do so. A significant majority-74 per cent-are considering or pursuing vendor consolidation, seeking benefits including faster support, reduced costs, and improved integration.

"The findings of this survey reflect the growing maturity of cybersecurity across the region. Organisations are no longer experimenting with AI, they are embedding it across threat detection, incident response, and team design. This signals a new era of security operations that is smarter, faster, and more adaptive to the evolving risk landscape. AI is fundamentally reshaping how threats are identified, prioritised, and acted upon, and this evolution demands a parallel shift in cybersecurity strategy and talent," said Simon Piff, Research Vice-President, IDC Asia-Pacific.

"CISOs across Australia are entering a more advanced phase of cybersecurity planning-one where AI is not just augmenting defences but influencing how organisations structure teams, allocate budgets, and prioritise threats. At Fortinet, we are helping customers embrace this shift by embedding AI across the platform, enabling faster detection, smarter responses, and more resilient operations as cyber risks become more complex and distributed. As this complexity grows, so does the need for converged, intelligent, and adaptive security models that can keep pace," said Cornelius Mare, Chief Information Security Officer, Australia, Fortinet.