The days of human analysts manually sorting through endless security alerts are numbered.

By 2028, artificial intelligence (AI) agents will handle 80% of that work in most security operations centers worldwide, according to a new IDC report.

But while AI promises to revolutionize defense, it’s also supercharging the attackers.

IDC predicts that by 2027, 80% of organizations will face phishing attacks leveraging AI-generated synthetic identities, fabricated personas that combine real information with AI-generated data to appear legitimate.

In a notable development, security platforms are expected to begin quantifying threats in financial terms. By early 2028, 30% of alerts in detection and response platforms will include real-time monetary estimates of potential breach damage, helping organizations prioritize responses based on financial impact.

The 10-prediction report covers additional trends including sovereign AI requirements, quantum computing readiness, and the emergence of AI Bills of Materials for enterprises deploying autonomous AI systems.

Other key forecasts from the report include predictions that one-third of governments will mandate sovereign AI for sensitive sectors by 2027; 40% of enterprises shall adopt AI-powered cyber risk quantification platforms by 2028; 70% of large enterprises intend to implement private cloud compute for data privacy protection by 2029; and 85% of detection and response playbooks will be generated dynamically by early 2027.

The accelerated timeline for these predictions suggests organizations have limited runway to adapt their security infrastructure and strategies for an AI-dominated threat landscape, the IDC report concluded.