New Delhi

About 73 percent of Indian organisations plan to harness generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) within the next 12 months to enhance security measures and align IT objectives with broader business goals, a new report said on Monday.

However, only 8 percent of organisations showed high confidence in effectively implementing GenAI technologies, according to the exposure management company Tenable.

"Despite the rise of AI, many Indian businesses are still developing their technology maturity and often lack the resources or skills needed to properly create, train, and implement AI, as well as maintain high standards of data governance," said Nigel Ng, Senior VP, Tenable APJ.

The report surveyed 826 IT and cybersecurity professionals, including 52 Indian respondents conducted in October 2023.

Moreover, the report identified two major challenges hindering Indian organisations from utilising or optimising AI technologies -- a lack of technological maturity (71 percent) and uncertainty about the applicability of AI within their operations (54 percent).

An aspect of concern highlighted by the report was the perception of GenAI as a greater security threat than an opportunity among 40 percent of Indian organisations.

Internal misuse of GenAI emerged as a major concern, with 67 percent expressing worry about potential misuse within their organisations. Additionally, 60 percent said that providing sensitive data to open-source GenAI puts them at risk of intellectual property theft.

Despite facing significant challenges in adopting AI technologies, cybersecurity and IT leaders in India were optimistic about the potential benefits of GenAI.

Around 31 per cent believe GenAI can enhance preventive threat response, 42 per cent think it can automate security measures, and 40 per cent feel it can improve actionability, according to the report.

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"The future holds great promise in leveraging GenAI's evolutionary capabilities for preventive cybersecurity measures. This shift moves the needle on merging IT and security objectives and places importance on prioritising AI governance and using the technology responsibly," Ng said.