IBM Study: One in Four Malicious Breaches are AI-Enabled, Costing Companies $6 Million on Average — TradingView News

IBM's 2026 Cost of Data Breach report found that one in four malicious data breaches are AI-enabled. The average cost of such breaches is $6 million. The findings are based on breaches experienced by 602 organizations globally across multiple industries and regions.

The study defines an AI-enabled breach as one where attackers used artificial intelligence tools, such as generative AI or machine learning, to plan, execute, or scale the attack. According to the report, AI-enabled breaches are often more difficult to detect and contain than traditional breaches. The $6 million average cost includes expenses related to incident response, notification, lost business, and reputation damage.

The 2026 report is the latest edition of IBM's annual series on data breach costs. It underscores the accelerating trend of AI being used for malicious purposes.