The global average cost of a data breach fell to $4.44 million in 2026, a 9% decline from $4.88 million in 2024, according to IBM's Cost of a Data Breach report. IBM attributed much of the drop to wider use of security AI and automation, which saved organizations an average of $1.9 million per breach and shortened detection times.

Organizations using AI and automation in their security operations paid about $3.62 million per breach, compared with $5.52 million for those without, a difference of roughly 34%. AI also cut the average time to identify a breach from 241 days to 51 days, a change that limits the damage attackers can do once inside a network.

The report also flagged rising risk tied to AI systems themselves. About 13% of organizations reported a breach of an AI model or application, and 97% of those lacked proper AI access controls. Roughly 63% of organizations reported that they either lack AI governance policies entirely or are still developing them, leaving many AI deployments without clear security oversight.

Regional figures diverged sharply from the global trend. The United States recorded an all-time high average breach cost of $10.22 million, about 2.3 times the global average. IBM noted that AI adoption is outpacing security and governance in many organizations, and that ungoverned AI systems tend to be both more likely to be breached and more costly when they are.

Source: IBM - https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach