Do Companies Have AI Security Budgets in 2026?

Around a third do. In Open Future Forum's August 2026 security data, 36 percent of security teams report a dedicated AI security budget line, 33 percent fund AI security case by case with no dedicated money, 20 percent carve it from the existing security budget, and 16 percent report no AI security spend at all (base 45).

Set against the problem data, the mismatch is the finding: a majority of security leaders name agent security their top problem while fewer than four in ten have standing money to work it. The direction of travel is positive, with "no AI security spend yet" shrinking from 21 percent to 6 percent between early and late July cohorts (directional), but the modal CISO is still negotiating for the line item.

Full data: CISO AI Leverage Report, August 2026.

Security leaders building the budget case find their peer data at the CISO Executive Forum.