AI Driving New Cyber Risk Landscape: AXIS Survey Compares CEO and CISO Views on AI's Promise Versus its Unprecedented Risks
PEMBROKE, Bermuda, Jan. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AXIS Capital Holdings Limited ("AXIS Capital" or "AXIS" or the "Company") (NYSE:AXS) today released research on how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the risk landscape through the lens of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs). The survey of 500 CEOs and CISOs across the U.S. and U.K. reveals striking differences in how executive leaders view AI's risks, rewards, and impact on cyber readiness.
"AI is clearly a transformative force for data analytics, innovation, and operational efficiency, and it is also undeniable that AI is quickly propelling us toward an entirely new risk landscape," said Vince Tizzio, AXIS President and CEO. "The findings in this report underscore our new environment, where a technology that promises untold productivity gains is also creating unprecedented risk."
AI is transforming industries and improving cyber defense technologies, but it is also equipping cybercriminals with sophisticated tools and creating new risks associated with its development, deployment, and potential for improper usage. AI-driven threats – spanning shadow AI, model manipulation, and deep fakes/social engineering to data leakage and advanced ransomware attacks – are often faster, more adaptive, and harder to detect.
Other key findings include:
- AI-driven attacks are viewed as the greatest emerging cyber threat to organizations across both regions (29.6% U.S.; 20.8% U.K.).
- Only 23.1% of executives aged 55+ said they believe AI will improve their company's cyber defenses compared to 77.4% of leaders aged 35-44.
- Nearly 82% of respondents plan to increase their cybersecurity budgets over the next 12 months.
- Three-quarters of respondents (75.2%) said they are likely to reduce cybersecurity headcount because of greater productivity resulting from investment in AI cybersecurity tools.
The Transatlantic Trust Gap: U.S. Optimism vs. U.K. Prudence
- AI is generally viewed positively among both U.S. and U.K. respondents, though confidence in cybersecurity and preparedness vary as U.K. leaders expressed more caution than their U.S. counterparts: U.S. leaders (85%) feel prepared for AI threats whereas U.K. leaders are less certain (44%).
- 88.4% of U.S. CEOs were confident AI would better their company's safeguards vs. 55% of U.K. CEOs.
- 82% of U.S. CEOs personally trust AI tools to help make cybersecurity decisions vs. 47% of U.K. CEOs.
While respondents across both regions believed AI delivered return on investment for cybersecurity, Americans were more enthusiastic than U.K. counterparts. In the U.S., 93.5% of CEOs and 87.5% of CISOs said they believed AI delivered ROI. In the U.K., that belief came in at 69.1% among CEOs and 74% for CISOs. The survey also revealed notable differences in hedging against risk as U.S. respondents (94%) are more likely to carry cyber insurance compared to U.K. respondents (68.4%).
CEOs and CISOs Hold Different Viewpoints on AI and Cyber Defense
CEOs tend to view AI as a driver of productivity and competitive advantage. CISOs, however, approach AI as a source of increased exposure. By a margin of 29.7% to 19.5%, CISOs are less optimistic than CEOs that AI will strengthen their company's cyber defenses. CEOs (67.1%) were also more assured than CISOs (58.6%) that AI tools would help them make cybersecurity decisions.
CEOs tend to be more confident than CISOs when it comes to cyber readiness:
- 60.2% of CEOs believe their company was more prepared than their peers to respond to AI-threats, compared to 50.6% of CISOs.
- Risk perception follows a similar pattern: CISOs ranked Shadow AI (unauthorized use) as their number one risk (27.2%), highlighting fears over unmonitored and unregulated tools.
- CEOs, however, identified data leakage (28.7%) as their greatest AI-related threat, compared to 17.2% of CISOs.
AI provokes slightly more apprehension in CEOs than it does in CISOs:
- Looking regionally, nearly a third (31.2%) of U.S. CEOs and 27.7% of U.S. CISOs identified AI-driven attacks as their greatest worry.
- In the U.K., 22% of CEOs and 19.7% of CISOs felt the same. Nearly half of U.K. CEOs (49.6%) said they trust AI tools to make cybersecurity decisions versus 37.4% that do not.
"Our survey findings indicate the impact of AI in transforming corporate defense strategies while exposing differing views between CEO's strategic optimism and CISO's security prudence," commented Lori Bailey, Head of Global Cyber and Technology at AXIS. "While it is now commonplace for CEOs to champion AI as a catalyst for innovation and efficiency, CISOs tend to see it as a new frontier of exposure and control."
Methodology
Findings were derived from a 23-question online survey among a total of 500 CEOs and CISOs across the U.K. and U.S. In the U.S., the respondent pool consisted of 138 CEOs and 112 CISOs, whereas in the U.K. it consisted of 123 CEOs and 127 CISOs. Respondents represented companies with at least 250 employees. Fielding for this study was conducted by an independent company from October 22–29, 2025.
About AXIS
AXIS Capital, through its operating subsidiaries, is a global specialty underwriter and provider of insurance and reinsurance solutions. The Company has shareholders' equity of $6.4 billion at September 30, 2025, and locations in Bermuda, the United States, Europe, Singapore and Canada. Its operating subsidiaries have been assigned a financial strength rating of "A+" ("Strong") by Standard & Poor's and "A" ("Excellent") by A.M. Best. For more information about AXIS Capital, visit our website at www.axiscapital.com.
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Media Contact:
Mairi MacDonald
AXIS Capital Holdings Limited
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