Gartner: AI Security Market to Grow 69% by 2027 as Competition Intensifies

Gartner forecast that the global AI security market will reach about USD 4.783 billion, or about KRW 6.6 trillion, in 2027. That would be about 69% higher than in 2026. Gartner also said the global AI security market is expected to grow further to about USD 7.7 billion, or about KRW 10.6 trillion, in 2028.

As the backdrop to that outlook, Shailendra Upadhyay, a senior analyst at Gartner, said the market is growing rapidly as protecting AI systems, addressing new vulnerabilities, and strengthening defenses against more advanced cyber threats have emerged as urgent corporate priorities. He also said vulnerabilities in third-party and open-source software used for AI projects, as well as supply chain attacks, are increasing, expanding the need for AI security. He added that if companies fail to secure proper security and visibility controls, the risk of AI initiative failures rises.

Gartner said that by 2029, more than half of successful cyberattacks targeting AI agents will involve exploitation of access control vulnerabilities and prompt injection. It said the need to respond to AI-specific threats is therefore expanding.

With demand rising for responses to such threats, companies increasingly need to identify, monitor, and protect AI models, Gartner said, adding that adoption of advanced AI security solutions is also increasing. It also stressed that robust defense systems require the combined use of existing security systems and specialized AI security tools.

Analyst Upadhyay said existing security tools often treat AI applications the same way as general software. He said major improvements to existing security tools are needed to address AI-specific threats, and forecast rapid growth in specialized solutions such as AI usage control and application security.

Gartner divided the AI security market into four major areas: AI application security, AI usage control, AI governance platforms, and AI gateways. It said the market consists of software and platforms that support safe and responsible AI use by companies, as well as related regulatory compliance.

Gartner said AI application security is expected to remain the largest spending category in 2027. Spending on AI application security in 2027 is projected at about USD 851 million, or about KRW 1.2 trillion.

Spending on AI usage control is projected at about USD 749 million, or about KRW 1.032 trillion, to rank second. However, the top growth-rate forecast was AI usage control at 73%, while AI gateways ranked second at 70.9%.

Analyst Upadhyay said enterprise adoption will accelerate as defense technologies such as AI runtime protection and dedicated gateways mature and as confidence in the technology increases. He added that as companies expand AI use, new vulnerabilities based on autonomous AI are emerging that are difficult to detect with existing monitoring systems.

Analyst Upadhyay said these changes will also expand demand for specialized AI security solutions.

Gartner said the competitive landscape in the AI security market differs by segment. AI governance platforms and AI gateways were classified as areas where many implementations are built on existing enterprise governance, data, and API management systems.

In these areas, major vendors are responding by adding AI capabilities or integrating specialized products, and Gartner said leading vendors are likely to retain market leadership. By contrast, AI application security and AI usage control are seeing a trend of heavy startup entry.

Against this backdrop of market growth, Analyst Upadhyay expects large cybersecurity companies to become more active in acquiring startups through mergers and acquisitions. He pointed to portfolio expansion as the reason, and forecast intensifying competition for market share.

Source: TECHWORLD · Lee Gwang-jae
Original: https://www.epnc.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=406310

References

• https://www.epnc.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=406310