What 1,000 Global Cybersecurity Leaders Think of GenAI in 2025

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Generative AI (GenAI) is both a friend and a foe of cybersecurity. However, security teams have no choice but to adopt it. It’s already here, and its use on both sides of the battle is inevitable. So, the only option is to use it wisely.

What does ‘wisely’ mean in this context? In its latest survey, CrowdStrike asked over 1,000 global cybersecurity leaders and practitioners about their key criteria for GenAI adoption and their priorities, needs, and concerns around generative AI in cybersecurity.

The research revealed what security teams think about GenAI and what they really want.

Key Takeaways

  • 80% of respondents prefer GenAI integrated into cybersecurity platforms to standalone solutions.
  • 76% of respondents favor GenAI tools purpose-built for cybersecurity over domain-agnostic tools.
  • Security specialists believe GenAI will augment the human experience, not replace it.
  • The main economic concern is providing a measurable ROI, not cost.
  • Safety and privacy guardrails are the top features experts want to see in GenAI tools.

Cybersecurity Specialists Choose Platform-Based Approach

CrowdStrike’s respondents acknowledge that GenAI in cybersecurity is still in its infancy in 2025. However, they are confident that it’s high time to acquire the necessary tools.

64% of respondents have already purchased one. 7 in 10 (69%) intend to buy this year.

The primary concern when considering a particular GenAI solution is how well it integrates with the existing security tools. Therefore, security teams don’t evaluate the tool’s standalone performance but how it works within their broader tech ecosystem.

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Almost two-thirds (63%) of respondents said their organization would consider overhauling its security tools to use another vendor’s GenAI tools.

Therefore, cybersecurity specialists favor a platform-based approach integrating multiple tools, data and processes into a unified system.

Crowdstrike stated:

“When delivered as an integrated component of the platform, GenAI can accelerate and augment the benefits of a platform approach. It can streamline onboarding, enabling analysts to get up to speed faster and interact with their tools in a more intuitive way (such as by using natural language).

“Delivering GenAI through a platform can also simplify procurement and deployment complexities, facilitating more seamless adoption.”

Security Teams Want GenAI Built by Cybersecurity Experts

74% of respondents admitted that they have already been breached in the previous 12-18 months or are worried they may be vulnerable to a breach.

No wonder the primary motivation for adopting GenAI tools is to better detect and respond to cyberattacks.

Kaustubh Medhe, vice president of research and cyber threat intelligence at Cyble, said that AI-driven cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated and frequent, and cybercriminals will continue to leverage AI to generate new and more complex attack methods in 2025.

Medhe told Techopedia:

“AI-generated malware will evolve rapidly, challenging traditional detection methods and necessitating equally sophisticated defenses.”

According to Crowdstrike, respondents favor vendors with deep cybersecurity expertise,

strong incident response capabilities, and leadership in threat intelligence.

Surprisingly, these factors outweigh more general AI leadership, such as a vendor’s investment in AI research or partnerships with LLM providers.

Crowdstrike further highlighted in a blog post:

“Generic, one-size-fits-all AI tools won’t cut it. More than three-quarters (76%) of respondents demand GenAI tools designed specifically for cybersecurity. The preference is for offerings tailormade by cybersecurity experts to support the day-to-day demands and workflows of the modern SOC.”

AI Won’t Replace Human Employees

Security teams are not concerned about losing their jobs due to AI. The survey revealed that fears of an “autonomous SOC” are minimal.

Respondents believe that GenAI can help mitigate skill shortages, but it won’t automate human labor.

Rizwan Patel, head of information security and emerging technology at Altimetrik, told Techopedia:

“The focus will be on integrating GenAI into security operations centers to augment human tasks rather than fully automate them.”

Despite the contrary belief, GenAI is more likely to support workers than replace them, including those in cybersecurity. Indeed’s survey proves this view:

“Out of more than 2,800 work skills assessed by Indeed, none were deemed ‘very likely’ to be replaced by GenAI.

“Out of five possible outcomes (very unlikely, unlikely, possible, likely, very likely), the majority (68.7%) of skills assessed were ‘very unlikely’ or ‘unlikely’ to be replaced by GenAI.”

Vice versa, respondents of Crowdstrike’s survey see GenAI as a means of improving the analyst experience, enhancing productivity, reducing burnout, and accelerating onboarding. Workflow automation and minimizing tedious, time-consuming tasks could achieve this.

Top 7 security workflows for GenAI tools

  1. Threat intelligence analysis & summarization
  2. Assisted detection investigation & analysis
  3. Automated response and/or workflow implementation
  4. Assisted vulnerability management & patching
  5. Enabling self-service answers to questions by non-security teams (IT, Engineering, etc.)
  6. Writing & editing queries or scripts
  7. Analyst onboarding & answering product functionality questions

Measurable ROI Is the Main Economic Concern

What are the economic concerns about GenAI adoption? The top three include quantifying the ROI of GenAI spending, costs of licensing, and unpredictable pricing models.

The majority of 1,000 cybersecurity practitioners believe platform-delivered GenAI can help teams realize faster economic returns from AI investments.

They expect to achieve significant savings due to broader platform consolidation efforts, including procurement efficiencies, reduced security incidents, fewer training cycles, and reduced maintenance costs.

Built-in Safety Guardrails Are Needed for Responsible Adoption

Ramesh Nampelly, Senior Director Of Cloud Infrastructure and Platform Engineering (CIPE) at Palo Alto Networks, highlighted the importance of robust supervision while adopting GenAI tools. He said:

“AI is like a toddler – curious, unpredictable, and capable of causing chaos if left unsupervised! Employees are diving into AI tools like DeepSeek to boost productivity, but without the right security, things can get messy – data leaks, compliance oopsies, and unintended consequences.”

Crowdstrike’s respondents are torn on whether the rewards outweigh GenAI risks. They say safety and privacy controls are required for GenAI maturity. Meanwhile, the top concerns are data exposure to underlying LLMs and attacks on GenAI tools.

As GenAI adoption grows, enterprises increasingly rely on technology and policy frameworks to ensure responsible GenAI use.

Almost 9 in 10 (87%) have implemented new security policies or are developing policies to

govern GenAI adoption within the following year.

The Bottom Line

“Employees are eager to explore and learn about AI and use AI-powered applications to be more productive and creative. They are using powerful tools like DeepSeek. But without the proper security measures, they can unknowingly stumble into risky territory, leading to potential data leaks, compliance issues, and unintended consequences,” said Anand Oswal, Senior Vice President and GM at Palo Alto Networks.

“Just like you wouldn’t leave a child to freely explore without supervision, organizations need to secure and guide their employees’ use of AI to mitigate risks while encouraging innovation.”

GenAI adoption in cybersecurity is imminent. However, with proper security guardrails, businesses can gain the visibility and control they need to ensure responsible AI adoption.

FAQs

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Alexandra Pankratyeva
Senior Content Editor
Alexandra Pankratyeva
Senior Content Editor

Alexandra is a Senior Content Editor at Techopedia with 10+ years of experience in covering tech, finance, and crypto industries. Previously, Alex served as a Writer and Commissioning Editor at Capital.com for six years, writing about the world's financial markets, including cryptocurrencies, stocks, indices, commodities, and FX pairs, and delivering educational content for investors and traders alike. She has also worked at several international software development companies, including EPAM and Itransition, fostering her expertise in AI, RPA, cloud computing, data analytics, cybersecurity, and IoT. Alex is passionate about dogs and books, which take up a lion's share of her free…