Gartner: GenAI has broken traditional cybersecurity awareness – what comes next?
Cybersecurity awareness has long relied on a simple premise: educate employees, reduce risk. But in 2026, that model is no longer holding.
This highlights the gap between traditional awareness programs and modern cyber risk.
For security and risk management leaders, awareness alone is no longer enough.
The human risk surface is expanding
GenAI adoption has surged across organizations, with more than 86% now piloting or deploying these tools. What began as experimentation has quickly become embedded in day-to-day workflows, often without corresponding governance or oversight.
Employees are not waiting for formal approval. Many are turning to personal GenAI accounts for work tasks, inputting sensitive data into public tools, or downloading unapproved applications. This phenomenon, often described as “shadow AI,” is increasing employee-initiated cybersecurity risk.
According to Gartner’s 2025 Cybersecurity Innovations in AI Risk Management and Use Survey, over 57% of employees use personal GenAI accounts for work, and 33% admit...
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