MixMode Threat Research is a dedicated contributor to MixMode.ai’s blog, offering insights into the latest advancements and trends in cybersecurity. Their posts analyze emerging threats and deliver actionable intelligence for proactive digital defense.
The cybersecurity landscape is growing more complex by the day. According to the 2025 Ponemon Institute Report on the State of AI in Cybersecurity, in partnership with MixMode, artificial intelligence is becoming a critical line of defense—but many organizations are still struggling to fully unlock its potential.
This second annual study offers a deeper look at how organizations are using AI to detect and respond to attacks faster, where it’s making the biggest impact, and what’s holding adoption back.
AI is Strengthening Security Posture—but Gaps Remain
Many organizations are seeing tangible gains from AI adoption:
- 56% say AI has improved their ability to prioritize threats and vulnerabilities, up from 50% last year
- 51% report increased SOC efficiency
- 43% say AI is helping analyze threats faster, up from 36%
These improvements are also boosting morale. Seventy percent of respondents say AI has improved productivity, and 69% say job satisfaction has increased due to the elimination of tedious tasks.
But progress is uneven. Only 42% of organizations rate themselves as very or highly effective in mitigating risks, vulnerabilities, and attacks across the enterprise. Meanwhile, 51% experienced at least one cyberattack in the past year—up from 45% the year before—with insider threats and credential theft leading the rise.
A Shift Toward PreEmptive Security
One of the most promising developments is the increased use of AI to predict and prevent attacks before they happen.
- 43% of organizations now use preemptive security tools
- 60% use AI to identify patterns that signal an impending threat
- 57% assess risks to identify emerging threats and potential impact
- 52% warn that without preemptive AI, attackers will succeed in launching targeted attacks at unprecedented speed and scale
This forward-looking approach is helping organizations minimize damage, prioritize business risks, and guide response teams with greater accuracy.
AI in the SOC: Faster Alerts, Better Focus
AI is also making a significant impact in the Security Operations Center. Fifty-eight percent of respondents report using AI in the SOC, with measurable benefits:
- 57% say alerts are resolved faster
- 55% say AI frees analysts to focus on urgent incidents and strategic priorities
- 50% say it helps identify emerging threats using real-time intelligence
Despite these gains, only 42% say their teams are highly prepared to work with AI-powered tools, and 55% cite the high complexity of these solutions as a barrier to success.
Legacy Systems and Integration Remain Major Obstacles
Integration challenges continue to slow down progress:
- 70% of respondents say it’s difficult to integrate AI security technologies with legacy systems, up from 65% last year
- 63% cite interoperability issues
- 59% cannot apply AI-based controls across their entire enterprise
- 56% lack the internal expertise to validate vendors’ AI claims, even as 63% base purchasing decisions on vendor expertise
These technical and operational limitations are keeping many organizations from realizing the full potential of their AI investments.
A More Mature, But Still Fragmented, AI Landscape
There’s clear evidence that AI programs are maturing:
- 53% of organizations say they are in the full or mature adoption stage of AI, up from 47% last year
- 44% are using AI-powered cybersecurity tools
- 43% have adopted preemptive AI strategies
But as the average cybersecurity budget rises to $36.8 million—and organizations allocate 21% of that to AI and ML investments—leaders must focus on building internal capacity, simplifying architectures, and prioritizing explainability to close the gap between promise and performance.
Bottom Line: AI is Here to Stay—but Strategy Matters
AI is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s a necessary component of modern cybersecurity strategy—especially as adversaries grow more sophisticated and attacks more frequent. But adoption alone isn’t enough. To stay ahead, organizations must invest in the right tools, talent, and architecture to make AI truly effective.
The 2025 Ponemon Report delivers key insights, trends, and stats you won’t want to miss.