Microsoft survey finds AI controls lagging adoption

Microsoft’s 29 January Data Security Index release said 47% of surveyed organisations were implementing controls specifically focused on generative AI workloads. The report drew on responses from more than 1,700 security leaders. Its findings describe the surveyed group; the percentage is not a census of all companies adopting AI.

The release focuses on protecting information used in AI workflows, governing productivity tools and using AI within security operations. Its consolidation argument also reflects Microsoft’s commercial position as a security-platform vendor. For a team evaluating its own readiness, the useful question is narrower than whether AI is present: which information an assistant can reach, what controls apply to that access and who checks whether those controls are working.