Nearly two-thirds of the world's largest companies have established a head of AI security role, according to research published on October 20 by IANS and Artico Search. The study found that 65% of organizations with annual revenue exceeding $10 billion have created this position to strengthen accountability and board-level oversight for enterprise AI governance. Large businesses are updating their security organizational structure to address the rapid growth of artificial intelligence technologies across their operations.

Among the largest firms, 18% have made the head of AI security a standalone position, while 47% have merged it with another leadership role, making it "one of the fastest emerging functional roles," the researchers noted. The position is far less common in smaller companies: only 9% of organizations with revenue between $1 billion and $10 billion have established the role, and just 6% of firms with under $1 billion in revenue have done so. Despite the surge in dedicated AI security leadership at large organizations, overall accountability for enterprise AI governance remains unsettled across the board. Chief information security officers hold primary accountability in 26% of small businesses, 11% of medium firms, and only 7% of large organizations. Chief AI officers are most often accountable for AI governance in large businesses, at 22%, while between 14% and 19% of organizations across all three size tiers reported that no single executive is accountable.

The report also found that most organizations have not yet fully implemented a board committee dedicated to AI ethics or responsible AI, with 43% to 48% across all three tiers stating they have no such committee planned. Steve Martano, IANS Faculty and partner at Artico Search's cyber practice, noted that "the growth of AI is creating a premium for leaders who can bridge technical security, risk and compliance while still understanding how the business wants to use the technology." He added that organizations must restructure security teams to ensure their governance strategies keep pace with rapid AI adoption. The research also assessed compensation drivers, finding that experience level is the single biggest factor behind pay differences in the same role, outweighing company size and geographic location. In firms with $10 billion or more in revenue, security professionals with eight to 15 years of experience earn about $35,000 more than those with fewer than eight years, and the gap grows to around $50,000 between early-career staff and professionals with more than 16 years of experience.

According to Martano, companies need to strategically think about what they require from the AI security function and whether they can develop that expertise internally before turning to an increasingly competitive external market. In large businesses, the average salary for Deputy CISOs was $350,000 per year, while business information security officers earned a similar amount on average, at $342,000. The lack of established AI governance structures suggests that many organizations are still determining how to manage AI risks while enabling business innovation. The rise of dedicated AI security leadership positions reflects growing recognition that traditional cybersecurity frameworks may not adequately address the unique challenges posed by artificial intelligence deployment. Organizations face mounting pressure to formalize oversight mechanisms that can keep pace with technology evolution while maintaining competitive advantage through AI-enabled capabilities.