Data reveals compounding threats are putting pressure on risk management teams, from economic volatility to geopolitical shocks to AI governance
Key Takeaways from Riskonnect's 2026 New Generation of Risk Report:
- 46% of risk leaders say their organizations have trained employees on how to evaluate AI outputs.
- 66% of organizations have trained employees on rules, responsibilities, and defined roles around AI oversight and accountability.
- 72% of risk leaders now have a policy governing employee AI use, up from 58% in 2025.
- 55% of risk leaders cited economic risk as a top corporate threat, tying for the first time with cybersecurity, also cited by 55% of respondents.
- 74% of risk leaders now use or plan to use AI for risk management, up sharply from 62% in 2024.
ATLANTA, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Just 46% of risk leaders say their organizations have trained employees on how to evaluate AI outputs in terms of what to trust versus challenge, according to the 2026 New Generation of Risk Report, released today by Riskonnect. The proprietary research is based on a global survey of more than 250 risk, compliance, and resilience professionals. The study uncovered critical gaps in how organizations are governing AI and preparing employees to use it responsibly.
Only 17% of risk leaders say they feel very prepared to manage AI and AI governance risks. While 66% of organizations have trained employees on rules, responsibilities, and defined roles around AI oversight and accountability, the data suggests fewer have gone deeper to provide training on practical skills or specific risks. Only 35% have trained employees on how to interpret and act on AI-driven insights and just 18% have formally trained or briefed the entire company on risks related to agentic AI. Nearly four years into generative AI hitting the mass market, just 35% of survey respondents say they have trained or briefed the entire company on generative AI risks.
"An AI policy sets the rules. Training gives employees the practical knowledge to apply those rules in their day-to-day work. As AI permeates every corner of the organization, employees need to know how to validate what AI gives them, recognize the risks, and make responsible decisions. Pairing strong governance and policies with useful training allows organizations to accelerate AI innovation while minimizing risk to the enterprise," said Jim Wetekamp, Riskonnect's CEO.
The report also reveals:
- AI policies aren't specific enough. Seventy-two percent of risk leaders have a policy governing employee AI use, up from 58% last year. But only 54% say they have clear policies and guidelines on what AI tools can be used and how they can be used.
- Agentic AI risk assessments are lagging. Fifty-eight percent of the companies considering incorporating agentic AI solutions into their operations or products haven't assessed the risks.
- Economic risk has caught up to cybersecurity as a top corporate threat. The percentage of risk leaders saying economic risk is having a "severe" or "significant" impact on their business is now tied with cybersecurity at 55%. Cybersecurity held the top spot for the past two years.
- Geopolitical volatility is taking a toll on companies. The impacts hitting the hardest are higher operating or production costs (65%), increased cybersecurity threats or attacks (58%), supply chain and shipping disruptions or delays (50%), and increased energy costs (49%).
- Siloed decisions are hurting organizations. Forty-one percent of risk leaders say, in the past year, another department made a risk-based decision without consulting the risk team that had a significant, unforeseen disruption elsewhere in the business.
Risk Professionals Are Under Pressure
Seventy-five percent of risk leaders say pressure has increased on their role over the past year. Thirty-seven percent say the pressure is "high" or "extreme." Yet only 25% saw their risk management technology budget grow in the past six months. The majority (66%) say their budgets stayed flat.
Risk teams are combatting the pressure and workload by leaning harder into AI to see more and move faster. Seventy-four percent of risk leaders currently or plan to use AI for risk management, up from 70% in 2025 and 62% in 2024. Top AI use cases for risk professionals include assessing risks (37%), scenario planning and simulations (34%), and surfacing risks they hadn't previously considered (32%). Thirty-one percent say AI has helped them uncover gaps or weaknesses in internal processes or controls in the past 12 months.
"Risk teams are shouldering a lot more than a few years ago as risk velocity accelerates. The teams putting AI to work are best equipped to carry that load and prove how indispensable they are," added Wetekamp.
Access the full report to dive deeper into the new generation of risk.
About Riskonnect
Riskonnect is the leading provider of software that brings risk under one roof. The technology empowers organizations to anticipate, manage, and respond in real time to strategic and operational risks across the extended enterprise.
More than 2,700 customers across six continents partner with Riskonnect to gain previously unattainable insights that deliver better business outcomes. Riskonnect has more than 1,500 risk management experts in the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. To learn more, visit riskonnect.com
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Riskonnect@corporateink.com
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SOURCE Riskonnect
