The evolving AI landscape is rapidly transforming cyber risk, the leaders of the Five Eyes cybersecurity agencies warn in a new call to action.

The Five Eyes – the intelligence coordinating body from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and US – have warned that AI is accelerating the speed, scale, and sophistication of cyber threats.

While AI will help improve cyber defences over time, the threat is already here: frontier AI models are expected to exceed current expectations when it comes to offensive and defences cyber abilities.

“The timeline is not years, it is months,” the Five Eyes warned.

The Five Eyes have urged organisations to treat these cyber risks not just as a technical issue, but as a core business risk.

Leaders should ensure core cyber principles are followed, from secure-by-design and secure-by-default being the standard, to improving the depth of defences.

AI will see new vulnberabilities emerge, including zero-days, which must be deal with swiftly and proactivley.

The Five Eyes provided practical solutions, such as accelerating patching processes, reducing attack surfaces, addressing legacy seystems, revewing identity controls, and preparing for incidents before they happen.

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The cyber alliance is also encouraging organisations to use AI to bolster their defences. AI can help improve threat detection, improve software quality, aid monitoring, and respond to incidents faster.

“Success will not come from having the most tools. It will come from getting the basics right, acting quickly, and integrating cyber security into core business strategy,” the Five Eyes said in a join statement.

“We must act before and be prepared to adapt and withstand evolving threats.

“Cyber resilience is not an IT issue – it is central to operational continuity and market trust. Leaders who act now will reduce exposure, strengthen resilience, and build confidence with customers, partners, and investors. Those who delay will face growing and avoidable risk.”