Cisco unveils Splunk CISO Report AI era

Cisco has released the annual Splunk CISO Report AI era, based on a global survey of 650 Chief Information Security Officers. The findings reflect a changing security landscape shaped by AI, rising threat sophistication and growing executive accountability.

Titled From Risk to Resilience in the AI Era, the report examines how CISOs are adapting their strategies as their responsibilities expand beyond traditional cybersecurity oversight.

Michael Fanning, CISO, Splunk, a Cisco company, said CISOs are operating at the centre of constant transformation. He noted that the mandate now extends beyond technology management to risk, talent and digital resilience tied to business outcomes.

AI as both advantage and risk

The Splunk CISO Report AI era positions AI as a critical tool for security teams, while also recognising its risks.

Key findings include:

• 95% of CISOs cite increasing threat actor sophistication as their greatest risk

• 92% prioritise improving threat detection and response

• 78% focus on strengthening identity and access management

• 68% plan to invest in AI-driven cybersecurity capabilities

AI is already reshaping operations:

• 92% say AI helps review more security events

• 89% report improved data correlation

• 39% of those who have adopted agentic AI say reporting speed more than doubled, compared to 18% still exploring it

• 82% believe agentic AI will increase both data review volume and response speed

At the same time, concerns remain:

• 86% fear agentic AI will make social engineering attacks more sophisticated

• 82% expect greater complexity in persistence mechanisms

The report reflects cautious adoption. AI is seen as necessary to counter advanced threats, but it introduces new operational and governance challenges.

Expanding mandate and rising personal stakes

The Splunk CISO Report AI era underscores how the role itself is evolving.

Nearly four out of five CISOs report their role has become significantly more complex. More than three quarters now worry about personal liability for security incidents, up sharply from the previous year.

AI governance and risk management are now core responsibilities for almost all respondents. More than four out of five also oversee secure software development practices, including DevSecOps.

The CISO is no longer confined to technical defence. The role intersects with compliance, enterprise risk and board-level accountability.

Talent remains central despite automation

Despite rapid AI adoption, human capital remains a priority.

CISOs report that closing skills gaps depends on:

• Upskilling existing teams

• Hiring new full-time staff

• Engaging contractors

The report suggests that AI enhances productivity but does not replace human judgement. Tasks such as threat hunting and contextual analysis still require human insight.

Security as shared accountability

Collaboration across the C-suite is emerging as a resilience driver.

The report notes:

• 62% see joint accountability as essential for key security initiatives

• 55% link shared ownership to security budgeting success

• 49% say access to security-relevant data improves through cross-functional cooperation

Security is increasingly framed as a business enabler rather than a cost centre.

Metrics such as Mean Time to Detect and Mean Time to Respond are used to communicate return on investment and operational impact to leadership.

Burnout and operational strain

The Splunk CISO Report AI era also highlights internal pressure within security teams.

Nearly two-thirds report moderate to significant burnout. Primary stressors include:

• High alert volumes, cited by 98%

• False alerts, cited by 94%

• Tool fatigue, cited by 79%

To reduce strain, CISOs are consolidating security data into unified views and using data-driven narratives to explain risk in business terms.

However, barriers to cross-departmental data sharing remain:

• 91% cite data privacy concerns

• 76% report high storage costs

• 70% mention lack of shared data visibility

From risk management to resilience leadership

The Splunk CISO Report AI era frames the modern CISO as a strategic leader navigating AI acceleration, threat complexity and governance pressure.

The survey, conducted by Oxford Economics in July and August 2025, included CISOs across multiple regions and industries. The findings indicate that digital resilience now depends on three pillars:

• Thoughtful AI integration

• Strong human capability

• Enterprise-wide collaboration

As AI reshapes both attack surfaces and defence strategies, the report suggests that resilience will hinge less on isolated tools and more on coordinated leadership and informed decision-making across the organisation.

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