AI is making cybersecurity teams more effective, but it is also changing which skills those teams need and making them harder to find. According to Fortinet’s 2026 Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report, released October 26, 68% of respondents named finding cybersecurity talent with specific AI experience as their top recruiting challenge. The survey covered more than 2,750 IT and cybersecurity decision-makers across 32 countries and locations, so the figures are global rather than specific to India. The top three sectors represented were technology (22%), manufacturing (16%) and financial services (11%).
The cost of the gap
The financial stakes are rising. Some 94% of organizations reported at least one breach in the past 12 months, and 74% said breaches cost them more than $1 million, up from 60% in 2024. North America saw the highest costs, averaging $2 million per breach. For the third year running, IT leaders pointed to a lack of cybersecurity skills as a top cause of breaches, cited by 63% of respondents.
Many organisations are not filling the gap fast enough. While 48% said they most need senior-level cybersecurity expertise, 67% said they struggle to win approval for additional headcount. That is difficult to square with another finding: 67% reported that executives or board members have faced penalties after a cyberattack. Carl Windsor, Fortinet’s CISO, said the survey suggests boards recognize cybersecurity’s importance but that more investment is needed on emerging AI risks and the skills shortage.
AI as both tool and threat
Adoption of AI-powered security tools is now nearly universal. Some 95% of respondents are using or experimenting with them, and 92% said the tools make IT and security teams more effective and efficient. Skepticism about AI for security has eased slightly, to 45% from 48% last year. Yet defenders are not the only ones with the technology. Another 45% listed defending against AI-driven attacks as a top concern.
Employee use of AI inside the enterprise adds a governance problem. Fortinet reported that leaders do not believe their boards fully grasp the risks, and 73% expect to need more AI oversight and governance roles on security teams over the next three years.
Where the new skills are needed
Respondents said their AI adoption requires new capabilities on security teams, led by AI tool oversight (60%) and security automation (58%), followed by AI model development (42%). To get there, 68% of organizations are building internal training or reskilling programs, while 48% are buying training from industry vendors.
Training budgets are following the need
Spending on credentials is rising. About 97% of respondents said they would pay for an employee to earn a certification, up from 82% in the 2025 report, and 93% are likely to invest in AI-related security training or certification in the next 12 months.
Organisations are also widening where they look for talent. Some 98% use internships, apprenticeships, partnerships or similar programs to reach underrepresented groups, and 80% have formal hiring targets for underutilized talent pools.
What it means for IT leaders
Fortinet argues that closing the gap requires investment in a layered approach that combines people, processes and technology, built on three pillars: awareness and education, targeted training and certification, and advanced security technology.
For CIOs and CISOs, the data points to a practical trade-off. Security tooling is arriving faster than the people who can govern and operate it, and most organizations are betting on internal reskilling to bridge the difference. The open question is whether those programs, and the budgets behind them, can keep pace with attackers using the same technology.