Average data breach costs rise to $4.99M as AI-driven attacks climb

The average cost of data breaches increased to $4.99 million globally, driven by a 56% rise in AI-driven attacks that add approximately $1 million extra per breach. AI-related breaches, especially those involving model inversion, are becoming more costly and frequent, with only a minority of organizations currently using AI and automation effectively in cybersecurity.

This Wire brief sits within Fusion42's coverage of Cybersecurity, and 4 sources have reported it between 29 Jul 2026 and 13 Aug 2026.