About This Research
Understanding the mission behind the 2026 AI Security Benchmark.
Why This Report Exists
Enterprise AI adoption has reached an inflection point. Hundreds of millions of knowledge workers now use AI tools daily — yet the security implications of this transformation remain poorly understood and largely unaddressed.
The 2026 State of Enterprise AI Security Benchmark was created to fill this gap. It curates the strongest published research on enterprise AI security (IBM, Zscaler, Microsoft, Cisco, Salesforce) into one picture of how organizations are (and are not) managing AI security risks.
Our goal is simple: provide the data that security leaders, board members, and policymakers need to make informed decisions about AI governance. The stakes are too high for guesswork.
Research Objectives
Quantify Shadow AI
Surface the scope of unsanctioned AI tool usage documented across industries.
Assess Governance Maturity
Benchmark where enterprises stand on AI policy, tooling, and training.
Identify Data Risks
Document what sensitive data is being shared with AI tools and how.
Guide Security Investment
Help CISOs prioritize AI security spending with data-backed insights.
Research by Aona AI
Aona AI is building the enterprise platform for AI security and governance. We help organizations discover every AI tool in use, monitor data flowing to AI services, and enforce AI acceptable use policies — all without blocking productivity.
We compiled this benchmark because we believe transparency drives better security outcomes. When enterprises understand the true scope of AI risk, they make better decisions, whether they use Aona or not.
This report is freely available to the security community. If the findings resonate and you want help addressing them, we're here.
For press inquiries, data licensing, or to discuss the findings, contact research@aona.ai