Data from one survey suggests that regional trends harbor perception gaps between business-oriented and frontline respondents in cybersecurity.

Based on a Feb–March 2025 survey of 1,000 cybersecurity professionals from 17 countries* on AI adoption and management experiences, some data trends for respondents from the Asia Pacific and Japan region (APJ) were disclosed by the cybersecurity firm that commissioned the survey.

First, 71% of the APJ respondents had cited that “AI has significantly improved productivity”, contrasting with 5% of APJ respondents that were analysts expressing the same sentiment.

Second, 46% of APJ security teams had indicated that “AI has improved productivity by offloading repetitive analysis, reducing alert fatigue and improving time to insight”.

Other findings
Third, 23% of APJ teams had indicated that they trust AI to act on its own. Also:

  • 31% of respondents indicated there were workforce reductions tied to automation, and another 23% indicated they were expanding hiring for roles focused on AI governance, automation oversight, and data protection.
  • Respondents from organizations in India, the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (IMETA) indicated the highest productivity gains (81%) in the survey, followed by those from the United Kingdom, Ireland and Europe (60%).
  • Overall, AI-driven improvements to productivity cited by APJ respondents were the third-highest (46%), compared to 44% from North America respondents.

According to Steve Wilson, Chief AI and Product Officer, Exabeam, the firm that commissioned the survey: “There’s no shortage of AI hype in cybersecurity — but ask the people actually using the tools… Analysts are stuck managing tools that promise autonomy but constantly need tuning and supervision,” alluding to the survey conclusion that “the path to successful AI adoption is not without friction. A clear disconnect exists between leadership expectations and the practical concerns of frontline analysts. Bridging this divide is essential to harnessing AI’s full potential.”

*ranging from analysts to CISOs — across a variety of industries, including finance, manufacturing, healthcare, and government. Respondents represented organizations “of all sizes” but with a disclosure of “a significant portion of participants coming from large enterprises with over 10,000 employees”. Geographical distributions of respondents were not disclosed in the survey report.