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A head of AI security role has been established in 65% of large organizations with an annual revenue of $10bn plus, according to new data.
The research, conducted by IANS and Artico Search, found that large businesses are taking steps to update their security organizational structure to enhance accountability and board level oversight for enterprise AI governance.
Around a fifth (18%) of all $10bn+ firms have made the head of AI security a dedicated position, while 47% combined it with another leadership role, making it “one of the fastest emerging functional roles,” according to the researchers.
Head of AI security was observed to be less common in medium and small companies, with the position established in 9% of organizations with a revenue of $1-$10bn, and 6% in firms with under $1bn in revenue.
Steve Martano, IANS Faculty and partner at Artico Search’s cyber practice, commented: “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.”
AI Governance Rarely Falls Under the CISO Remit
The IANS report, published on October 20, found that despite the growth of dedicated head of AI security roles in large organizations, overall accountability for enterprise AI governance remains unsettled.
CISOs hold primary accountability in 26% of small businesses, in 11% of medium firms and just 7% of large organizations. The position that most often is held accountable for AI governance in large businesses are chief AI officers, at 22%.
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Across all three tiers, 14-19% of organizations reported that no single executive is accountable.
In addition, most organizations have not yet fully implemented a board committee dedicated to AI ethics or responsible AI, with 43-48% across all three tiers stating that they have no such committee planned.
Martano said organizations must restructure security teams to ensure that their governance strategies keep pace with rapid AI adoption.
“Companies need to strategically think about what they need from the function and whether they can develop that expertise internally before going to an increasingly competitive external market,” he noted.
Experience the Biggest Dictator of Security Pros’ Pay
The report assessed experience level as the single biggest driver of compensation differences in the same role – more significant than factors such as company size and geographic location.
In $10bn+ businesses, security professionals with eight to 15 years’ experience earn about $35,000 more than those with fewer than eight years’ experience.
The gap grows to around $50,000 between early-career staff and professionals with more than 16 years’ experience.
In large businesses, the average salary for Deputy CISOs was $350,000 per annum.
BISOs earnt a similar amount on average, at $342,000.
Data around average compensation levels for CISOs was not included in the report.
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