DigiCert research suggests AI-related security problems are already affecting many Australian enterprises, with 81% of surveyed organisations reporting either an AI-related incident or identifying AI-related vulnerabilities.
The survey of Australian IT and cybersecurity decision-makers found rapid uptake of AI tools alongside what it described as uneven governance and monitoring. According to the findings, 76% of organisations deployed four or more AI-powered systems in the past six months, while 14% reported only partial or no formal monitoring.
Daniel Sutherland, Area Vice President ANZ at DigiCert, said: “AI is rapidly becoming embedded into the way Australian organisations operate, but trust and security must remain central to this transformation. As businesses move from experimentation to enterprise-wide adoption, they need the right foundations in place to understand, manage and secure their AI environments.”
Sutherland added: “The organisations that will benefit most from AI will be those that can confidently govern these systems, maintain visibility into how they operate and ensure they remain trusted as they scale. That is why DigiCert is committed to advising, supporting and safeguarding Australian businesses throughout this AI-driven sea-change”.
The research points to governance as a board-level topic, with 87% of organisations discussing AI governance at the executive or board level, but only 46.4% reporting they have established formal AI governance programs.
The survey also reported that 46% of organisations cannot fully trace AI decisions back to the models and source data that produced them, a limitation that can complicate incident investigation, compliance, and accountability. It found organisations are beginning to invest in controls, with 50% dedicating budgets to AI security and 44% assigning unique digital identities to AI agents to improve oversight and accountability.
Additional findings reported include that nearly 84% of organisations have evaluated AI-related liability exposure, 84% have established formal or informal processes to revoke access or trust when AI systems are compromised, and 81% have assigned unique digital identities to at least some AI agents.
The findings are based on an independent survey conducted by Propeller Insights on behalf of DigiCert in May 2026. The study surveyed 1,001 IT and cybersecurity decision makers across the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.
You can read the full report here.
