Survey: Cyber Threats, Emerging Tech, AI Top Corporate Risk List
Discover key findings from the latest Executive Risk Survey by the NC State Enterprise Risk Management Initiative and Protiviti.
Explore the latest executive insights on emerging risks, cybersecurity, AI governance, and strategic priorities shaping the future of business. The Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Initiative at NC State University, in partnership with Protiviti, presents the 14th Annual Executive Perspectives on Top Risks Report, based on responses from 1,540 board members and C-suite executives worldwide. This comprehensive study examines risk landscapes for the near term (2026–2028) and a decade ahead.
Top 10 Near-Term Risks (2026-2028)
Executives rated 28 unique risks across three categories:
- Macroeconomic risks impacting growth opportunities
- Strategic risks affecting strategy viability
- Operational risks influencing execution capability
Out of those risks, executives ranked these as the top 10 near-term risks:
- Cyber threats (Operational)
- Third-party risks (Operational)
- Adoption of emerging technologies requiring workforce upskilling (Strategic)
- Legacy IT infrastructure performance gaps (Operational)
- Economic conditions, including inflation (Macroeconomic)
- AI implementation risks (Operational)
- Talent acquisition and retention challenges (Operational)
- Regulatory uncertainty and fragmentation (Strategic)
- Labor availability (Macroeconomic)
- Global market and trade policy changes (Macroeconomic)
Key Insights
Five of these risks are operational, signaling a strong focus on internal resilience and execution reliability. Cybersecurity, third-party dependencies, and AI governance dominate executive concerns.
Three of the top 10 near-term risks reflect macroeconomic concerns—economic conditions, labor availability, and global trade policy shifts—that can disrupt strategic momentum.
Though fewer in number, strategic risks—emerging technologies requiring workforce transformation and regulatory fragmentation—carry high-impact potential.
Differences in Risk Rankings by Executive Position
Risks vary by leadership position:
| Role | Top Risk | Second Risk | Third Risk |
| Board Members | Cyber threats | Skills and talent acquisition | Talent and labor availability |
| CEOs | Talent and labor availability | Skills and talent acquisition | Increases in labor costs |
| CFOs | Cyber threats | Third-party risks | Operations and legacy IT infrastructure |
| CIOs/CTOs | Cyber threats | Third-party risks | Operations and legacy IT infrastructure |
| CHROs | Talent and labor availability | Skills and talent acquisition | Increases in labor costs |
Top Long-Term Risk Concerns (A Decade Out)
Executives anticipate transformative challenges over the next decade. Here are the top five long-term risk areas they selected, with the percentage each area was ranked as the number one long-term risk along with the percentage the area was included as one of the respondents’ top three long-term risk concerns:
| Long-Term Risk Theme | Ranked No. 1 | Included as a Top 3 Risk Concern |
| Customers and competition | 17% | 42% |
| Security and privacy | 17% | 40% |
| AI deployments | 13% | 39% |
| Markets and economies | 13% | 36% |
| Talent challenges | 9% | 32% |
Long-term risks concerns emphasize — customers and competition (42%), security and privacy (40%), and AI deployment (39%).
Managing the Transformative Impact of AI
AI offers efficiency and innovation but introduces governance challenges. Here are the top five AI-specific issues they identified:
| AI Implementation Risk Concerns | Percentage of Respondents Including Risk in Top 3 AI-Specific Concerns |
| Risks related to data required for AI use and to cybersecurity exposure | 31% |
| Integrating AI with our existing technologies, business processes and workforce | 31% |
| Equipping our workforce to realize AI’s value proposition | 29% |
| Inability to deploy AI at a competitive pace | 28% |
| Lack of governance and accountability for AI deployments | 24% |
These findings indicate that as organizations embrace AI’s potential, there is a strong awareness among executives about the need to navigate its risks.
Seeking Growth Opportunities
We asked respondents to rate the level of their agreement with the following three statements about strategic growth opportunities over the next two-to-three years.
- Revenue potential: Current economic conditions notwithstanding, there are significant opportunities to grow our revenues.
- Geographic expansion: There are significant opportunities to grow our business in markets other than headquarters’ domestic markets.
- Ecosystem development: There are significant opportunities to expand our ecosystem of strategic alliances and partnerships.
Respondents indicate positive outlooks for revenue growth in light of current economic conditions. Nearly 7 of 10 organizations are optimistic about their short-term revenue growth opportunities.
Six of 10 (62%) survey respondents anticipate their organizations expanding their ecosystem of strategic alliances and partnerships to enhance how they go to market.
At the same time, over half (52%) are optimistic that there are opportunities to grow their organizations in foreign markets, which indicates a strengthening of international partnerships.
Identifying Strategic Investment Priorities
The top five strategic investment priorities signal responses to overall near-term risk concerns where cybersecurity, third-party reliance and legacy IT infrastructures are top-of-mind risk challenges.
| Strategic Investment Opportunities | Ranked No. 1 | Ranked in Top 3 |
| Cybersecurity | 15% | 43% |
| Business process improvements | 13% | 35% |
| Infrastructure modernization | 14% | 33% |
| Data privacy | 13% | 29% |
| Customer experience | 14% | 27% |
- Categories:
