Artificial intelligence is “supercharging” the cybersecurity arms race, with cyber-enabled fraud affecting people of all stripes, according to a new Global Cybersecurity Outlook report by the World Economic Forum and professional services firm Accenture.
The institutions surveyed organizations and executives about the current cybersecurity environment and identified three key trends for 2026. The first is the role of AI in accelerating both cyber threats and cyber defenses. Among the findings, the number of respondents assessing the security of AI tools rose significantly from the previous survey last year, with 64% now conducting assessments versus 37% in 2025. In addition, 87% of respondents identified AI-related vulnerabilities as the fastest-growing cyber risk.
The second trend was geopolitics remaining the top factor influencing overall cyber risk mitigation strategies. Nearly two in three organizations surveyed said they are accounting for geopolitically motivated attacks in their cyber planning.
The final trend was the broad nature of who is targeted, with 73% of respondents reporting that they or someone in their networks had been personally affected by cyber-enabled fraud last year. Among top executives, CEOs listed cyber-enabled fraud as their top concern, while chief information security officers remain concerned about ransomware and supply chain resilience.
