Definition. Share of security leaders naming agent access their top problem minus share with a dedicated AI security budget line. September 2026: 30 points.
The figure, chair by chair
The gap is the share naming agent access as the top AI security problem minus the share holding a dedicated AI security budget line. All four chairs are under 40 and directional.
| Chair | Names agent access | Holds a dedicated line | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security, CISO (29) | 69 percent | 24 percent | 45 points |
| Technology, CTO or CIO (21) | 76 percent | 33 percent | 43 points |
| CEO or founder (37) | 59 percent | 41 percent | 18 points |
| Other titles (16) | 62 percent | 50 percent | 12 points |
Source: Open Future Forum, Enterprise AI Buying and Budget Index, September 2026 editions.
Across the full base of 110 the gap is 30 points, 67 against 37. In the August cohort of 61 it is 34 points, 75 against 41.
What changed since Edition 2
The construct is named for the first time in Edition 3, so there is no published prior value. Applying the same subtraction to Edition 2's figures, 58 percent naming agent access against 36 percent holding a dedicated line, gives 22 points on a base of 45. Both components rose into Edition 3, the problem faster than the funding.
The rest of the funding mix on the full base: 36 percent fund case by case, 22 percent carve it out of the existing security budget, and 11 percent have no AI security spend yet.
How to read it
The gap measures the distance between recognition and resourcing. It is widest at the chair that owns the problem: the CISO seat names agent access at 69 percent and is the least funded chair in its own room, with 24 percent holding a dedicated line and 48 percent funding case by case. It is narrowest among the people who advise on the problem rather than answer for it.
Read alongside the rest of the security instrument, the two most-named problems, agent access and data leakage, are governance problems rather than adversary problems, and together they are named by more than twice the share naming attacks that use AI.
How it is measured. From the instrument questions in the application flow for Open Future Forum events, cut by the respondent’s seat from self-reported title. Bases are unique people per instrument; bases under 40 are directional. Full method: Executive AI Leverage Report, September 2026, Methodology and honesty notes.
Tracked figures. See the Trend by edition table in the current edition and the Executive AI Statistics page. Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21576019.
Why it matters. It is a number a board can ask for and a broker can work with: the share of security leaders who have named the problem, against the share who have been given a line to fund it. The series reports the current figure, the prior figure, and the change each edition.
Where it appears
Read in full in the CISO AI Leverage Report, summarised in the Executive AI Leverage Report, and used as a board question in the Board Director AI Governance Report.
Cite as. Newlands, M. (2026). The Security Funding Gap. Open Future Forum, Enterprise AI Buying and Budget Index. openfutureforum.com/research/definitions/security-funding-gap
About Open Future Forum
Open Future Forum is a global executive community founded in Silicon Valley. Its network reaches tens of thousands of executives and investors worldwide. It runs a year-round calendar of events for senior executives and investors, including CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, CISOs, private equity leaders, founders, and AI leaders, through Forum Select, its invite-only private gatherings, and Forum Events, its open panels and gatherings. Beyond events, Open Future Forum convenes peer groups and executive boards and publishes original research built on first-party survey and qualitative data from its executive network.
Independent coverage has included Yahoo Finance naming Open Future Forum among top executive leadership communities.
About Murray Newlands
Murray Newlands is the founder of Open Future Forum and the host of its executive dinner series and research program. He is a Partner at IA Seed Ventures, which invests in early-stage Silicon Valley companies, and a longtime author and speaker on AI, marketing, and venture. He writes on AI, venture, and enterprise strategy at murraynewlands.substack.com. More at openfutureforum.com/about and murraynewlands.com.
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