Global spending on securing AI systems is forecast to reach almost $4.8 billion in 2027 as businesses confront emerging vulnerabilities associated with AI applications and autonomous agents, according to Gartner.
The analyst predicts the market will grow 68.7% from $2.84 billion in 2026 to $4.78 billion next year, before reaching almost $7.7 billion in 2028.
For merchant fraud and payments teams, the expansion of autonomous AI could introduce another layer of risk as agents gain greater access to customer accounts, business systems and potentially transaction processes.
Gartner predicts that by 2029, more than half of successful cyberattacks targeting AI agents will exploit access-control weaknesses and prompt injection attacks.
Shailendra Upadhyay, Senior Principal Analyst at Gartner, said growing vulnerabilities and supply chain attacks involving third-party and open-source software are adding to the need for dedicated AI security.
“Without adequate security and visibility controls, enterprise AI initiatives face a high risk of failure,” he said.
Traditional cybersecurity tools may also prove insufficient as AI introduces attack methods that differ from those associated with conventional applications.
Gartner divides the emerging AI security market into four principal areas: AI application security, AI usage control, AI governance platforms and AI gateways.
AI application security is forecast to account for almost $851 million of spending in 2027, up 67.5% year-on-year. AI usage control will reach $749 million, representing growth of 73%, while spending on AI gateways is predicted to increase 70.9% to $429 million.
For fraud prevention teams, these technologies could become increasingly relevant as organisations determine which AI systems and agents can access sensitive information and what actions they are authorised to perform.
Upadhyay said businesses will need to combine existing security infrastructure with specialised tools capable of addressing AI-specific threats.
“As businesses expand their AI initiatives, the need for specialized AI security solutions will further grow, especially as autonomous AI introduces new vulnerabilities beyond the reach of traditional monitoring,” he said.
For merchants, the challenge will be ensuring the adoption of AI does not create new gaps between cybersecurity, identity and fraud controls. As autonomous systems become capable of taking more actions on behalf of customers and businesses, strong access controls, governance and visibility into AI activity are likely to become increasingly important components of the fraud prevention environment.
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