Saudi Arabia continues to strengthen its position as one of the world’s fastest growing artificial intelligence markets, but a senior technology executive has warned that enterprise security frameworks are struggling to keep pace with the speed of AI adoption. Wasna Ben Gassem, Managing Director for Saudi Arabia at TrendAI, said organizations across the Kingdom are deploying AI technologies into critical business operations faster than many security and governance programs can adapt. Her comments reflect concerns raised in a recent global study conducted by Trend Micro, which found that businesses worldwide are facing increasing pressure to adopt AI despite ongoing security challenges. According to the study, 57 percent of organizations believe artificial intelligence is advancing faster than they can secure it, while only 38 percent have comprehensive AI governance policies in place. Additionally, 67 percent of the 3,700 business and IT leaders surveyed admitted they felt pressure to approve AI deployments even when security concerns remained unresolved.
Speaking about the findings, Ben Gassem said the survey closely reflects discussions currently taking place in executive boardrooms throughout Saudi Arabia. She noted that organizations across different industries and of varying sizes are increasingly integrating artificial intelligence into business critical systems without having sufficient visibility, operational controls or governance mechanisms to manage associated risks effectively. According to her, competitive pressure is encouraging enterprises to accelerate AI implementation, but that urgency is often overtaking operational readiness. Ben Gassem emphasized that while Saudi Arabia has established itself as one of the world’s most ambitious digital economies, organizations must ensure security remains a core component of every artificial intelligence initiative. She explained that AI introduces operational complexities that existing enterprise technology environments were not originally designed to handle, creating additional challenges related to governance, regulatory compliance, data protection and oversight. Instead of treating security as an activity performed after AI deployment, she said organizations should integrate security into infrastructure planning, governance frameworks, compliance processes and operational management from the beginning of every AI project.
Saudi Arabia has significantly expanded its investment in artificial intelligence over recent years as part of its broader digital transformation strategy. According to the Global AI Index, the Kingdom currently ranks fifth globally and first in the Arab world for AI sector growth. Government plans also aim to expand the national AI market to approximately 9.17 billion dollars by 2030 through continued investment in digital infrastructure, skilled talent development and sector specific AI applications. Ben Gassem said these investments will help diversify the national economy while modernizing government services and private sector operations. She also pointed to the Stanford Institute for Human Centered Artificial Intelligence AI Index Report 2026, which ranked Saudi Arabia first globally in artificial intelligence security, privacy and cryptography. While describing this achievement as an important milestone, she stressed that enterprise level operational maturity must continue evolving alongside the country’s broader national ambitions so organizations can deploy AI responsibly and securely.
Ben Gassem added that enterprises are now facing security risks extending beyond traditional cybersecurity concerns. These include data misuse, shadow AI deployments, regulatory uncertainty and reduced oversight of increasingly intelligent business systems. She said fragmented security products and disconnected governance frameworks are becoming less effective as artificial intelligence transforms enterprise operations. According to Ben Gassem, organizations should adopt unified cybersecurity platforms capable of providing comprehensive visibility across infrastructure, applications, enterprise data and AI environments while delivering lifecycle governance, threat intelligence and integrated risk management. She explained that stronger governance and centralized visibility will enable businesses to better manage emerging threats, maintain regulatory compliance and support secure innovation throughout the entire artificial intelligence lifecycle. She emphasized that sustained AI leadership depends not only on technological advancement but also on building secure, responsible and scalable enterprise security architectures capable of supporting long term digital transformation initiatives.
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