How CISOs can work with business leaders to harness the power of AI
Enterprises are poised to pour $227 billion into AI in 2025 – two-thirds of it on embedded, mission-critical deployments, according to IDC’s FutureScape 2025 forecast. That ambition is colliding with a sharp rise in risk, however: Gigamon’s 2025 Hybrid Cloud Security Survey finds 91 % of CISOs are already re-calibrating hybrid-cloud defences after AI-linked system compromise rates jumped 17 % year-on-year. Little wonder Gartner expects global cybersecurity budgets to leap 15 % to $212 billion in 2025, much of it ring-fenced for safeguarding new AI workloads.
In this high-stakes climate, collaboration between chief information security officers (CISOs) and business leaders is no longer optional – it’s the linchpin for unlocking AI’s promise while protecting the organization’s data, reputation, and regulatory standing.
Understanding the business perspective on AI
To effectively collaborate, CISOs must first appreciate why business leaders champion AI. The drivers are compelling: AI is seen as a powerful engine for revenue growth, opening new market opportunities and enhancing customer experiences through greater personalization. Operationally, it promises to optimize processes, reduce costs, and provide data-driven insights for more informed decision-making. While the enthusiasm is understandable, business leaders may sometimes have an incomplete picture of the unique security considerations associated with AI systems. The CISO’s role in this context is not to act as a barrier to innovation, but rather as a strategic enabler, guiding the organization toward secure AI adoption that supports, rather than hinders, business objectives.
Bridging the communication gap: translating security into business value
A cornerstone of successful collaboration is the CISO’s ability to speak the language of the business. This involves moving beyond technical jargon to discuss AI security in terms of its direct impact on business outcomes. For instance, the financial implications of data misuse in AI systems, the reputational damage from biased AI, or the operational disruption from compromised AI platforms are concepts that resonate strongly with executive leadership. Utilizing metrics that reflect business value, such as the return on investment of secure AI initiatives or the reduced time-to-market for securely developed AI products, can further strengthen this communication. It’s also crucial to frame robust security as a critical component for building and maintaining trust in AI systems from customers, partners, and regulatory bodies. When positioned correctly, proactive security can accelerate AI innovation by preventing costly setbacks and rework.
Establishing a collaborative framework for AI governance
A structured approach to AI governance, built on collaboration, is essential. This begins with early and continuous engagement from the security team. CISOs should advocate for
security to have a seat at the table from the very ideation and strategy phases of AI initiatives, rather than being brought in for a late-stage review. Integrating security considerations throughout the AI project lifecycle – akin to applying DevSecOps principles to AI and machine learning operations (MLOps) – is a key objective.
Creating cross-functional AI committees with members from security, IT, data science, legal, and business units ensures defined roles and unified understanding of AI security risks like data poisoning, model inversion, and ethical bias.
As Duncan Brown, group vice president at IDC, aptly states: “AI governance is strategy. Neither AI governance nor AI strategy is complete without the other.”
This perspective underscores that AI governance isn’t merely a compliance exercise but a strategic imperative. Embedding governance into the core of AI strategy ensures that security, ethical considerations, and business objectives are aligned from the outset, fostering responsible and effective AI deployment.
Key areas for CISO-business leader alignment on AI strategy
Several specific areas require close alignment between CISOs and business leaders to forge a coherent AI strategy. Data governance and privacy for AI are paramount; this involves collaborating on comprehensive policies for data sourcing, ensuring data quality, proper labeling, and defining acceptable usage in AI models to maintain compliance and ethical handling. Securing the data pipelines that feed these AI systems is an equally critical task. For secure AI development and deployment, CISOs must work with data science and engineering teams to embed security best practices throughout the AI software development lifecycle, ensuring robust testing, validation, and ongoing monitoring of AI models in production.
Collaborating with AI vendors requires robust security evaluations and clear contractual requirements. CISOs and business leaders must also address ethical AI principles, bias mitigation, and incident response strategies tailored for AI systems.
Showcasing security as an AI innovation enabler
Framing security as a catalyst for AI innovation shifts the CISO’s role from a gatekeeper to a strategic partner, enabling organizations to pursue more ambitious AI-driven initiatives. CISOs can position security as a diligent protector of valuable AI assets – such as proprietary models, sensitive training data, and intellectual property – thereby instilling the confidence needed for broader AI adoption.
Embedding AI trust, risk, and security management (TRiSM) capabilities throughout the AI lifecycle ensures continuous governance, monitoring, and validation, which both reduces time-to-market for AI products and guards against costly incidents.
By sharing real-world success stories – such as organizations where secure AI adoption accelerated innovation pipelines and strengthened market positioning – CISOs can demonstrate that robust digital protection and groundbreaking AI innovation are not mutually exclusive but inherently interdependent.
The CISO as a strategic partner in the AI-driven enterprise
Ultimately, harnessing the full power of artificial intelligence securely and responsibly is a shared responsibility across the enterprise. The CISO plays a vital facilitative and expert role in this endeavor, guiding strategy and ensuring protective measures are woven into the fabric of AI initiatives. Ongoing dialogue, mutual understanding, and a commitment to partnership between security leaders and business executives are the keys to successfully navigating the evolving AI landscape. As AI becomes increasingly central to business operations, the CISO’s role will continue to evolve into that of an indispensable strategic partner in the AI-driven future.
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