In the Benelux, 63 percent of organizations use AI in their security operations, though this is lower than the global average.
Organizations worldwide are under pressure due to a growing number of security alerts, fragmented tools, and limited capacity within security teams. According to a report by Arctic Wolf, conducted in collaboration with Sapio Research, AI is increasingly being deployed to alleviate this pressure. The study surveyed 1,950 IT and security decision-makers across sixteen countries, including 150 respondents from the Benelux.
Human Oversight Crucial
In the Benelux, nearly two-thirds (63%) use AI in security operations. This is lower than the global average of 73 percent. AI is used to automate repetitive tasks, accelerate investigations, and improve threat detection. However, human oversight remains crucial: more than two-thirds of respondents in the Benelux believe that AI requires significant human input.
Although many organizations see AI as a valuable addition, there are also caveats. In the Benelux, only half of the respondents think that AI helps prevent burnout and staff turnover within security teams. That’s significantly less than the global average of 66 percent. One in five Benelux organizations even believes that AI doesn’t help with this at all.
Policy
Besides the functional implementation of AI, deployments also bring challenges. In the Benelux, the lack of clear policies around safe AI usage forms the biggest barrier (33%). This is followed by concerns about data privacy (31%) and costs (29%). Globally, privacy, costs, and integration complexity are cited as the biggest obstacles.
Nevertheless, the influence of AI on purchases and investment decisions is substantial. Both globally and in the Benelux, 99 percent of organizations indicate that AI plays a role in their cybersecurity strategies for the coming year.
The researchers note that AI is only effective when supported by human expertise. By smartly deploying AI in combination with experienced analysts, organizations can increase efficiency and better manage risks.