How Your Enterprise Can Learn From AI Enthusiasts

As cybercriminals turn to AI to orchestrate attacks at scale, there’s a distinct group of companies taking bold steps to fight back against advanced cyber threats—what we call “AI Enthusiasts.” These enterprises have not just embraced AI but are actively deploying it to detect and stop the most sophisticated attacks in real time. The results? Not only do these pioneers stay ahead of attackers, but they also drive meaningful positive business outcomes.

Why are AI Enthusiasts so effective? It's simple: they've had to be. AI Enthusiasts are on the frontlines, with the data showing they are facing the most sophisticated and highest volume of AI-driven threats. Our new research report, “The Intersection of AI, Digital Fraud and Cyber Defenses, highlights how these businesses are uniquely positioned to understand and combat the evolving nature of cyber threats. As a result, AI Enthusiasts are constantly adapting and evolving their defenses.

So, what can other enterprises learn from AI Enthusiasts? I’m sharing three key learnings from our report so you can discover the actions they’re taking to defend against today’s most advanced threats—and how you can put these best practices into action.

#1. What Makes AI Enthusiasts Stand Out

AI Enthusiasts are a select group—just 25% of enterprises fit this category today. What sets them apart is that they take a multifaceted approach to cybersecurity, leveraging AI in at least three of the following strategic ways:

Digging Through Historical Data: AI analyzes past data to uncover security gaps that may have been overlooked, providing invaluable insights.
Forecasting the Next Attack: AI enables businesses to predict future threats, ensuring they can prepare and stay a step ahead.
Automating Mundane Tasks: AI automates repetitive tasks, allowing human resources to focus on more strategic, high-impact defense efforts.
Slashing Response Times: AI reduces the lag between detection and response, limiting the window for attackers to strike.
Setting 24/7 Watchdogs: AI tools provide around-the-clock monitoring, identifying vulnerabilities during off-hours.
Crunching Real-Time Data: AI analyzes massive amounts of data in real time, allowing enterprises to spot and neutralize threats instantly.

By combining these proactive steps, AI Enthusiasts strengthen their defenses and are among the first to transform their cybersecurity posture.

#2. Improved Threat Intelligence

AI Enthusiasts are more focused than their peers on improving threat intelligence. They report doubling down on enhancing threat intelligence, which in turn improves threat detection and response. This approach has other significant benefits:

Reduced Security Costs: By leveraging defensive AI, AI Enthusiasts streamline processes, driving down the overall cost of securing their business.
Hyper Efficiency: These businesses are getting more value from their security investments, using AI to operate more efficiently than non-enthusiasts.

This commitment to AI-driven threat intelligence puts AI Enthusiasts in a strong position, allowing them to respond faster and more accurately to emerging threats.

#3 Partnering with Specialized Vendors Instead of Building In-House

AI Enthusiasts are significantly more likely to report being “very well prepared” for AI-driven volumetric attacks than their peers. But this level of preparedness doesn’t come without its challenges:

Internal Governance Policies: Nearly 46% of AI Enthusiasts face hurdles due to internal model governance policies that restrict their use of AI in cybersecurity.
The Talent Gap: 50% of AI Enthusiasts acknowledge the shortage of talent with expertise in both cybersecurity and AI—an issue that only worsens as AI attacks become more sophisticated.

To overcome these obstacles, AI Enthusiasts increasingly rely on third-party solutions. 67% prefer partnering with vendors who specialize in AI-powered cybersecurity, recognizing that building in-house solutions can’t match the speed and innovation of today’s cybercriminals. Our company, for example, offers AI-resistant solutions that are designed to outpace even the most advanced threats, ensuring continuous protection for enterprises facing rapidly evolving attack tactics.

Actions You Can Take to Bolster Your Defenses

To stay ahead of emerging AI-driven threats, it’s crucial to adopt a proactive and strategic approach. Here are three key areas your business should focus on, inspired by the success of AI Enthusiasts,

#1. Assess Your Cybersecurity Priorities Against AI Enthusiast Benchmarks

AI Enthusiasts excel because they strategically align their actions to mitigate risk and enhance security outcomes. Ask yourself:

Are you leveraging AI to analyze historical data and predict future attacks, like AI Enthusiasts do?
Have you implemented continuous monitoring to detect and address vulnerabilities in real time?
Are your resources focused on strategic tasks by automating repetitive ones with AI?

By evaluating your approach against these benchmarks, you can identify gaps and opportunities for improvement in your defense strategy.

#2. Implement Best Practices for Key Threat Scenarios

Whether combating account takeovers, SMS toll fraud or other threats, adopting targeted best practices is essential. For example:

Account Takeovers: Use AI-resistant challenges, such as Arkose MatchKey, that thwart adversarial AI tools and validate user authenticity without disrupting legitimate users.
MFA Compromise: Detect reverse-proxy phishing sites in real time and activate immediate fraud mitigation workflows.
Generative AI Threats: Deploy robust detection and mitigation techniques to protect your digital assets and ensure system integrity.

By tailoring your defenses to specific attack types, you can stay ahead of evolving threats.

#3. Evaluate Your AI-Sourcing Strategy

AI Enthusiasts recognize the value of partnering with specialized vendors rather than building in-house solutions. Consider these points:

Are you leveraging third-party solutions designed to outpace the innovation of cybercriminals?
Do you have a clear justification for in-house builds, or could specialized vendors deliver better results faster?
Have you addressed internal governance or talent gaps that may be limiting your AI implementation?

Strategic partnerships can help you deploy cutting-edge AI defenses more effectively, while reducing costs and operational complexity.

Prediction: The Next 12 Months

The threat landscape is evolving rapidly. While most enterprises are still catching up, we predict that by the end of next year, nearly 50% of organizations will be classified as AI Enthusiasts—roughly double the current number. The threats of today are only going to increase in frequency and sophistication, and now is the time to act.

If you want to ensure your enterprise is ready to tackle the next wave of AI-powered attacks, explore the bold strategies AI Enthusiasts are using to stay ahead. Download the full report and uncover actionable insights to strengthen your defenses today.