Data leaks involving the exposure of personal data represent the single greatest cybersecurity issue surrounding generative artificial intelligence that concerns chief executive officers the most.
Global perspective findings from the Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 reveal that 30 per cent of corporate leaders view the unauthorised exposure of personal data as their top genAI risk.
The advancement of adversarial AI follows closely as the second leading concern, cited by 28 per cent of respondents. Together, the threats of compromised personal data and increasingly sophisticated adversarial capabilities dominate executive anxiety, representing the primary focus for nearly three-fifths of leaders surveyed.
Beyond data exposure and adversarial developments, executive perceptions encompass several technical and structural challenges.
The direct technical security of AI systems is identified as the chief concern by 15 per cent of leaders, while 13 per cent point to the increased complexity of security environments as their main issue.
Broader legal and supply chain risks round out the global survey findings. Legal concerns regarding intellectual property serve as the top risk perception for 9 per cent of executives, whereas threats related to the software supply chain and code are prioritised by 6 per cent of respondents.
Overall, global leadership perspectives demonstrate that while technical security, operational complexity, intellectual property law, and software supply chain integrity all feature among key AI security risks, data privacy and adversarial advancements remain the predominant cybersecurity issues weighing on CEOs today.
