Darktrace Report Reveals 73% of Cybersecurity Pros Grappling with AI-Powered Threats as Agentic AI Emerges as New Insider Risk

The cybersecurity landscape is undergoing a seismic shift as artificial intelligence transforms from a defensive tool into a double-edged sword, with new research revealing that security professionals worldwide are racing to adapt to an evolving threat landscape that now includes AI-powered attacks and autonomous agents operating within enterprise networks.

A comprehensive global survey conducted by Darktrace, encompassing over 1,500 cybersecurity professionals across multiple continents, paints a picture of an industry in rapid transition. The findings reveal that 73 percent of security teams report AI-powered threats are already significantly impacting their organizations, while nearly half feel inadequately prepared to defend against these emerging attack vectors.

Yet paradoxically, 92 percent of respondents indicate that AI-driven threats are simultaneously driving major upgrades to their defensive capabilities. This apparent contradiction highlights the complex relationship organizations have with artificial intelligence in cybersecurity—simultaneously recognizing it as both a formidable threat and an essential defensive tool.

The survey, titled “The State of AI Cybersecurity 2026,” reveals that generative AI has become deeply embedded in security operations, with 77 percent of professionals reporting AI integration within their security stacks. The efficiency gains are substantial, with 96 percent confirming that AI significantly enhances the speed and effectiveness of their work, allowing teams to process alerts, analyze threats, and respond to incidents at unprecedented scale.

However, these benefits come with substantial risks. Data exposure has emerged as the paramount concern, cited by 61 percent of respondents as their primary worry. This is closely followed by potential violations of data security and privacy regulations (56 percent) and the misuse or abuse of AI tools (51 percent). The survey underscores a critical governance gap: despite heightened awareness of AI-related risks, only 37 percent of organizations have implemented formal policies for securely deploying AI—a concerning eight percentage point decline from the previous year’s report.

“Enterprises are embracing AI fast, and while AI tools are helping security teams better defend against attacks, agentic AI introduces a new class of insider risk,” warns Issy Richards, VP of Product at Darktrace. “These systems can act with the reach of an employee—accessing sensitive data and triggering business processes—without human context or accountability. Our research shows security leaders are already worried, and this cannot be treated as an afterthought. If AI agents are operating inside your organization, their governance, access controls, and monitoring are a board-level responsibility, not just a technical one.”

The emergence of agentic AI—autonomous systems capable of making decisions and taking actions without human intervention—represents a particularly concerning development. These AI agents can potentially access sensitive corporate data, initiate transactions, modify configurations, and interact with critical systems at machine speed, all while operating with minimal human oversight. The risk profile is especially troubling because these agents combine the potential for catastrophic impact with the subtlety of insider threats.

In response to these findings and the rapidly evolving threat landscape, Darktrace has unveiled Darktrace/SECURE AI, a comprehensive platform designed to provide security teams with unprecedented visibility and control over AI tool usage within their organizations. The solution offers granular monitoring of what data AI agents can access, how they behave across networks, and what systems they interact with, addressing the critical governance gap identified in the survey.

The platform’s launch comes at a crucial moment when organizations are struggling to balance AI adoption with security requirements. As Richards emphasizes, the governance of AI agents transcends traditional IT security concerns and demands attention from executive leadership and board members who must understand and manage the strategic risks these autonomous systems present.

The survey also reveals interesting regional variations in AI adoption and security maturity. Organizations in North America and Europe show higher rates of AI integration but also report more sophisticated security frameworks. Meanwhile, emerging markets demonstrate rapid AI adoption but lag in formal governance structures, potentially creating new vulnerabilities in the global cybersecurity ecosystem.

Industry experts note that the findings reflect a broader trend of technological acceleration outpacing regulatory frameworks and organizational preparedness. “We’re seeing organizations implement powerful AI tools at breakneck speed, often without fully understanding the security implications,” says Dr. Elena Rodriguez, a cybersecurity researcher at MIT. “The governance gap identified in this report isn’t just a technical problem—it’s a systemic challenge that requires coordinated action from technology providers, regulators, and organizational leadership.”

The implications extend beyond individual organizations to the broader digital economy. As AI agents become more prevalent in business operations, the potential for cascading failures or coordinated attacks increases exponentially. A compromised AI agent with access to multiple systems could potentially trigger a chain reaction of security breaches across interconnected corporate networks.

Looking ahead, the report suggests that 2026 will be a pivotal year for AI cybersecurity. Organizations that fail to implement robust governance frameworks and monitoring capabilities for AI tools and agents risk falling behind in both security posture and regulatory compliance. Meanwhile, those that successfully navigate this transition stand to gain significant competitive advantages through enhanced operational efficiency and reduced risk exposure.

The cybersecurity community appears to be reaching a consensus: the age of AI in security is no longer approaching—it’s here. The challenge now is ensuring that this powerful technology is harnessed responsibly and securely, with appropriate safeguards against the very threats it was designed to counter.

As organizations continue their rapid AI adoption journeys, the findings from Darktrace’s comprehensive survey serve as both a warning and a roadmap. The message is clear: AI security is no longer optional, and the governance of autonomous AI agents must become a strategic priority at the highest levels of organizational leadership.

Image credit: Wanan Yossingkum/Dreamstime.com

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