Paris:As cyber threats become more sophisticated and digital technologies continue to advance, businesses are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance their cybersecurity measures. This trend is underscored by new data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
According to Wam, the data indicates that in 2025, 5.3% of enterprises employed AI for information and communication technology (ICT) security. This figure represents about one-quarter of all enterprises using AI, reflecting a notable increase in AI adoption for cybersecurity purposes. The applications of AI include machine-learning systems for the detection and prevention of cyber-attacks and AI-based user authentication.
Despite the rapid acceleration in AI adoption for cybersecurity, which saw a 23.2% increase from 2024 to 2025, a 68.6% increase from 2023, and more than double its 2021 levels, the use of AI varies significantly by firm size. In 2025, 26.7% of large enterprises used AI for ICT security compared to 9.6% of medium-sized enterprises and 3.7% of small enterprises, highlighting persistent disparities in the use of advanced digital security technologies.
AI adoption for ICT security also shows substantial variation across industries. In 2025, 18.1% of firms in the information and communication sector reported using AI for ICT security, which far exceeded adoption rates in other industries. The next highest share was recorded in professional, scientific, and technical activities at 8.9%. Adoption in the ICT sector was approximately nine times higher than in accommodation and food services, which stood at 2.1%, suggesting that AI-enabled cybersecurity tools are more widely adopted in information-intensive sectors.
On the individual level, people across the OECD are increasingly taking control of their personal data online. From 2020 to 2025, there was a 26.8% rise in individuals altering browser settings to limit cookies. Additionally, there were marked increases in the refusal to use personal data for advertising (17.2%) and restrictions on access to geographical location data (14.0%).
Concerns about the privacy and security implications of generative AI are similar across individuals of varying educational attainment. However, those with higher educational levels are more likely to take steps to manage their online data, with 68.1% refusing to use personal data for advertising purposes and 65.8% restricting geographic location access, compared to 39.5% and 38.9% of individuals with lower educational attainment, respectively.