AI leads new cybersecurity spending as budgets rise 5%, Old National analysis says

Old National Bancorp flagged AI as the leading driver of new cybersecurity budget growth, citing an IANS-Artico survey of 500-plus executives. Roughly 70% of CISOs ranked AI as the top priority for new spending, with focus on security-operations automation, identity access management. Overall security spending rose 5%, only slightly above the prior report’s 4% increase, pointing to modest budget expansion. Annual security budgets ranged from about $1 million for firms with revenue of $100 million or less to over $30 million above $10 billion. About 80% expected AI to drive new cybersecurity roles; about 70% did not anticipate AI-related headcount cuts. Disclaimer: This news brief was created by Public Technologies (PUBT) using generative artificial intelligence. While PUBT strives to provide accurate and timely information, this AI-generated content is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as financial, investment, or legal advice. Old National Bancorp published the original content used to generate this news brief on October 13, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. (C)