New data from a survey supplied to members of ClubCISO, the global private members forum for information security leaders, has revealed what CISOs really and currently think about generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).

The survey’s results highlight CISOs’ confidence in GenAI in their organisations, with around half of those surveyed (51%) believing these tools are a force for good and act as security enablers. In comparison, only 25% saw generative AI tools as a risk to their organisational security.

The study’s findings also underscore the proactive stance of CISOs in comprehending the risks linked to GenAI tools and their active support in implementing the tools.

Just under half (45%) of respondents suggested they now allow generative AI tools for specific applications, with the CISO office making a final decision on their use. Only around a quarter (23%) have region-specific or function-specific rules to govern GenAI use.

Despite ongoing concerns around the data privacy of specific applications, 54% of CISOs are confident they know how AI tools will use or share the data fed to them, and 41% have a policy to cover AI and its usage. In contrast, only a minority (9%) of CISOs say they do not have a policy governing the use of AI tools and have not set out a direction either way.

Inspiring further confidence, 57% of CISOs also believe that their staff are aware and mindful of the data protection and intellectual property implications of using AI tools.

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Commenting on the findings, Rob Robinson, head of Telstra Purple EMEA—sponsors of the ClubCISO community—said: “While we do still hear examples of proprietary data being fed to AI tools and then that same data being resurfaced outside of an organisation’s boundaries, what our members are telling us is that this is a known risk, not just in their teams, but across the employee population too.”

“Generative AI is rightly being seen for the opportunity it will unlock for organisations,” he continued. “Its disruptive force is being unleashed across sectors and functions, and rather than slowing the pace of adoption, our survey highlights that CISOs have taken the time to understand and educate their organisations about the risks associated with using such tools. It marks a break away from the traditional views of security acting as a blocker for innovation.”