We write about cybersecurity a lot on this blog… and with good reason. Cyber incursions are more prevalent, more expensive and more top-of-mind than ever before. Regardless of the line of business you’re in, you quite simply have to take preemptive measures to keep your company, your people and your data secure. And given how important cybersecurity is now and into the future, we’ve picked out one trend we think will be a real difference maker in 2023 — artificial intelligence (AI).

Why AI is poised for a cybersecurity breakout

AI has been all over the news in recent months, but more in the realm of pop culture. Artists are angry about their future job prospects in the age of AI-generated art. Then there was the week or two where ChatGPT was the only thing anyone tweeted about. Lensa took over everyone’s avatars on social media. These much-publicized AI headlines are important beyond the hype because use cases like this provide tangible examples of how AI can and will impact our everyday lives. It takes AI beyond hypotheticals for people and turns it into examples they can use and understand themselves.

The same is coming for enterprise applications, especially cybersecurity.

The numbers behind AI cybersecurity

For almost two decades, IBM has conducted and published an annual “Cost of a Data Breach” report. Here are some of the highlights:

“For 83% of companies, it’s not if a data breach will happen, but when.”

Average cost of a data breach in the U.S.? “$9.4 million”

“Stolen or compromised credentials were not only the most common cause of a data breach, but at 327 days, took the longest time to identify. This attack vector ended up costing $150,000 more than the average cost of a data breach.”

“In 2022, it took an average of 277 days—about 9 months—to identify and contain a breach. Shortening the time it takes to identify and contain a data breach to 200 days or less can save money.”

IBM calculated that if you can get that response time to less than 200 days, it can save more than $1 million in additional losses.

The biggest thing companies can do to not only protect themselves, but save money if there is a breach? According to IBM, deploy AI systems to help out:

“Organizations that had a fully deployed AI and automation program were able to identify and contain a breach 28 days faster than those that didn’t, saving USD 3.05 million in costs. However, it’s not all or nothing. Organizations with a partially deployed AI and automation program fared significantly better than those without.”

Our calculus for why this is the biggest trend to watch for in 2023 isn’t complicated — it’s right there in the data. Companies are safer, can respond and rectify breaches faster, and save boatloads of money if they have some form of AI-assistance as a part of their threat detection and mitigation posture.

That’s why we think AI will be the cybersecurity trend to watch for in 2023.

If you’re interested in learning how you too can utilize AI to help keep your company safe, give us a ring — we’d love to help take your security to the next level.