Is artificial intelligence a new battleground for cybersecurity?

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between artificial intelligence and cybersecurity in the context of geopolitical risk. The findings from the full sample indicate that there is no correlation between artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. On the other hand, the outcomes demonstrate that artificial intelligence has a significant effect on cybersecurity and vice versa for the subsamples driven by increased automation, the sophistication of cyberattacks that outpace defensive capabilities, state-sponsored threats, and tensions between global powers. These results confirm the bidirectional relationship between artificial intelligence and cybersecurity across different subsamples, which coincides with greater geopolitical tension. The results align with the diffusion of the innovation model, which states that geopolitics can influence the adoption and impact of AI innovations in cybersecurity. Therefore, the AI-cybersecurity relationship requires balanced innovation and security policies.