Key Takeaways:

• Nearly half of CISOs hold negative views on GenAI deployment, despite widespread CEO enthusiasm.
• Lack of internal GenAI policy and legacy infrastructure are slowing secure adoption across global enterprises.
• Stronger governance, skills development, and cross-functional alignment are needed to unlock AI’s full potential.

NTT DATA has released a global report titled “The AI Security Balancing Act: From Risk to Innovation,” which reveals growing misalignment within C-Suite leadership over how generative AI (GenAI) is being deployed, governed, and secured.

The report is based on insights from more than 2,300 senior GenAI decision-makers across 34 countries, including 1,500 C-suite executives. It shows that while business leaders and CEOs are eager to increase investment in GenAI, many operational and security leaders remain cautious—citing insufficient policy clarity, misaligned strategies, and underprepared infrastructure.

“As organizations accelerate GenAI adoption, cybersecurity must be embedded from the outset to reinforce resilience,” said Sheetal Mehta, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Cybersecurity at NTT DATA. “A secure and scalable approach to GenAI requires proactive alignment, modern infrastructure and trusted co-innovation.”

Key Findings: CEO Optimism vs. CISO Caution

• 99% of C-suite leaders plan to increase GenAI investments over the next two years, and 67% of CEOs report significant planned commitments.
• Despite this enthusiasm, 45% of CISOs express negative sentiment toward GenAI rollouts, largely due to gaps in governance, risk posture, and infrastructure readiness.
• Only 20% of CEOs view GenAI governance as a concern, compared to 54% of CISOs who report unclear policies or ownership over GenAI responsibility.

Even security leaders who hold reservations about the technology’s risks acknowledge its business value—81% of those CISOs still agree GenAI will improve efficiency and impact bottom-line results.

Skills and Infrastructure Lag Behind

NTT DATA’s report highlights operational challenges that are slowing enterprise readiness:

• 69% of CISOs report their teams lack the skills needed to work with GenAI technologies.
• Only 38% of CISOs say their GenAI and cybersecurity strategies are currently aligned, compared to 51% of CEOs.
• Most organizations (72%) do not yet have formal policies for GenAI usage, and just 24% of CISOs strongly agree their firm has a robust framework for balancing risk with innovation.

The research also identifies aging infrastructure as a key barrier. 88% of security leaders cited legacy technology as limiting business agility and GenAI readiness. Upgrading IoT, 5G, and edge computing is considered essential to enabling secure AI deployments at scale.

Co-Innovation Over Standalone AI Tools

In response, 64% of CISOs say they are prioritizing partnerships with strategic IT providers instead of relying on isolated AI solutions. The most important criteria when evaluating GenAI providers, according to these leaders, is the ability to deliver end-to-end services—spanning deployment, governance, integration, and risk mitigation.

Craig Robinson, Research Vice President of Security Services at IDC, added:

“While the use of GenAI clearly provides benefits to the enterprise, CISOs and Global Risk and Compliance leaders struggle to communicate the need for proper governance and guardrails. Alignment with business leaders is essential for implementation.”

Where This Leaves the Enterprise

NTT DATA’s findings show that enterprise success with GenAI depends not just on investment, but on coordinated leadership. To shift from experimentation to value creation, organizations must close the gap between innovation agendas and cybersecurity capabilities.

The report recommends stronger internal collaboration, skill development, and investment in secure-by-design infrastructure to move forward confidently in the AI era.

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Rich Tehrani serves as CEO of TMC and chairman of ITEXPO #TECHSUPERSHOW Feb 10-12, 2026 and is CEO of RT Advisors and is a Registered Representative (investment banker) with and offering securities through Four Points Capital Partners LLC (Four Points) (Member FINRA/SIPC). He handles capital/debt raises as well as M&A. RT Advisors is not owned by Four Points.

The above is not an endorsement or recommendation to buy/sell any security or sector mentioned. No companies mentioned above are current or past clients of RT Advisors.

The views and opinions expressed above are those of the participants. While believed to be reliable, the information has not been independently verified for accuracy. Any broad, general statements made herein are provided for context only and should not be construed as exhaustive or universally applicable.

Portions of this article may have been developed with the assistance of artificial intelligence, which may have contributed to ideation, content generation, factual review, or editing.