Specialty re/insurer AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has released new research exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the risk environment, based on the perspectives of CEOs and Chief Information Security Officers.
In commissioning the research, AXIS Capital surveyed 500 CEOs and CISOs in the US and UK and found clear contrasts in how senior leaders assess the risks, benefits and impact of AI on cyber readiness, and AXIS Capital consistently framed the findings from a risk management and insurance perspective.
AXIS Capital said research shows that artificial intelligence is widely recognized for its ability to enhance data analysis, innovation and operational efficiency, while introducing a fundamentally different set of risks.
“Artificial intelligence is clearly a transformative force for data analysis, innovation and operational efficiency, and it is undeniable that it is rapidly driving us towards an entirely new risk landscape,” commented Vince Tizzio, President and CEO of AXIS. “The findings in this report highlight our new environment in which a technology that promises to increase productivity also creates unprecedented risks.” AXIS Capital emphasizes throughout the report that this dual dynamic is at the heart of modern cyber risk.
AXIS Capital’s analysis notes that while AI enhances cyber defense tools and supports industry-wide improvements, it also empowers cybercriminals and introduces new vulnerabilities related to the development, deployment and potential abuse of AI. AXIS Capital describes threats posed by AI, including shadow AI, model manipulation, deepfakes and social engineering, data breaches and advanced ransomware, as being faster moving, more adaptable, and increasingly difficult to identify and contain.
When AXIS Capital asked respondents to rank emerging threats, both countries cited AI-driven attacks most often, with 29.6% of US respondents and 20.8% of UK respondents citing it as a top issue.
AXIS Capital also found a clear generational divide, with only 23.1% of executives aged 55 and older believing AI will enhance their organization’s cyber defenses, compared to 77.4% of leaders aged 35-44. Despite these concerns, AXIS Capital’s research shows that nearly 82% of participants intend to increase cybersecurity spending in the next 12 months, although 75.2% said they may reduce the number of cybersecurity staff due to increased productivity due to AI security tools.
AXIS Capital highlighted the significant regional contrast between confidence in the US and caution in the UK. While attitudes towards AI are generally positive on both sides of the Atlantic, levels of preparedness differ significantly, with 85% of US leaders saying they are ready to deal with AI-related threats, compared with 44% of UK leaders. AXIS Capital reports that 88.4% of US CEOs believe that AI will enhance the protection of their companies, compared with 55% of UK CEOs; 82% of US CEOs personally believe that AI tools can support cybersecurity decisions, compared with 47% of UK CEOs.
Perceptions of ROI follow a similar pattern, according to AXIS Capital’s survey results. In the US, 93.5% of CEOs and 87.5% of CISOs said AI can deliver a return on investment in cybersecurity, while in the UK, 69.1% of CEOs and 74% of CISOs said the same. AXIS Capital also noted differences in risk transfer strategies, with 94% of US respondents saying they purchased cyber insurance compared to 68.4% of UK respondents, reinforcing AXIS Capital’s focus on insurance as a key component of cyber resilience.
The differences between executive roles are also central to AXIS Capital’s conclusions. CEOs often describe AI as a lever for productivity and competitive position, while CISOs are more likely to associate AI with greater visibility. AXIS Capital found that chief information security officers (CISOs) are less confident than CEOs (29.7% vs. 19.5%, respectively) that AI will enhance their organizations’ cyber defenses. Confidence in AI-supported decision-making follows a similar pattern, with 67.1% of CEOs expressing confidence compared to 58.6% of CISOs.
In AXIS Capital’s survey, the two groups further differed in their views on preparedness. A total of 60.2% of CEOs believe their organizations are better prepared than their peers to deal with AI-related threats, while 50.6% of chief information security officers share the same view. AXIS Capital also observed that CISOs ranked shadow AI (defined as unauthorized use) as the highest risk at 27.2%, reflecting concerns about unmonitored tools. By comparison, 28.7% of CEOs believe data breaches are the primary AI-related threat they face, compared with 17.2% of chief information security officers (CISOs).
AXIS Capital says the level of focus varies slightly by role and geography. In the US, 31.2% of CEOs and 27.7% of CISOs cited AI-driven attacks as their biggest concern, while in the UK the figures were 22% and 19.7% respectively. Trust in AI decision-making tools among UK CEOs is mixed, with 49.6% saying they trust such tools and 37.4% distrusting them, with AXIS Capital highlighting this divide as indicative of wider uncertainty.
Looking back at the survey results, AXIS Capital highlights the strategic tension between optimism and caution at the top of organizations. “Our survey results demonstrate the impact of AI on changing enterprise defense strategies, while exposing the divergent perspectives between CEOs’ strategic optimism and CISOs’ security caution,” added Lori Bailey, global head of cyber and technology at AXIS. “While CEOs now generally view AI as a catalyst for innovation and efficiency, CISOs tend to view it as a new frontier for exposure and control.”
AXIS Capital reports that the results are based on a 23-question online survey completed by 500 CEOs and CISOs in the US and UK. In the United States, participants included 138 CEOs and 112 Chief Information Security Officers, while the UK sample included 123 CEOs and 127 Chief Information Security Officers. All respondents represented organizations with at least 250 employees, and the study was conducted by an independent firm between October 22 and 29, 2025, with AXIS Capital overseeing study design and interpretation.