WorkSeptember 14, 2026via Forrester Blog
CISOs: Stop Arguing That AI Doesn’t Work — Start Arguing About What It Costs
Why it matters
A shift in how security leaders are framing AI adoption to boards: from capability skepticism to economic justification. This reflects maturation in enterprise AI deployment and a practical turn in how practitioners pitch security AI investments.
Key signals
- Forrester report: 'Resetting Security's AI Narrative With Boards And Executives'
- CISO concern: economic framing of AI security tools, not capability proof
- Narrative shift from 'does AI work?' to 'what does it cost?'
- Board-level engagement on AI security budgeting
- Source: Forrester analyst commentary (vendor perspective)
- Audience: CISOs and security executives
- Theme: AI cost-benefit and boardroom narrative
- Format: Opinion/strategy essay, not news of a specific development or deployment
The hook
CISOs are losing the wrong argument. The debate isn't whether AI works in security—it's what it costs to deploy at scale.
Last year, we took the stage at Forrester’s Security & Risk Forum to challenge the story boards that executive teams were beginning to tell themselves about AI. That keynote became our new report, Resetting Security’s AI Narrative With Boards And Executives. We wrote it because CISO clients keep com…