IBM says AI-enabled breaches average $6 million, outpacing global breach cost average

IBM’s 2026 Cost of a Data Breach Report found that 25% of malicious breaches were AI-enabled, up 56% year over year.

AI-enabled breaches averaged $6 million in costs, about $1 million above the global average of $4.99 million.

More than 20% of organizations reported breaches targeting AI models or applications; leading drivers were compromised surrounding systems, including APIs and cloud misconfigurations.

Security teams using AI automation cut breach costs by nearly $2 million on average, while 25% of organizations still have not adopted such tools.

AI-driven attacks were concentrated in critical infrastructure at 62%; average breach costs reached $6.3 million in financial services and $5.2 million in energy.