Heimdal Survey: Executives Four Times More Confident About AI Risk Than the Teams Managing It

A significant perception gap exists between executives and the IT practitioners actually managing AI risk, with executives four times more likely to believe AI risks are under control. This disconnect is dangerous because strategic decisions about AI adoption and security investment are made at the executive level, while the operational reality is far more precarious. When leadership underestimates risk, security teams are underfunded, under-resourced, and unheard. Compounding this, AI adoption is outpacing security controls at a two-to-one ratio, meaning new attack surfaces are being created faster than defenses can be established. Closing this gap requires honest, data-driven communication between security teams and leadership before an incident forces the conversation.