CISOs Favor the Elimination of Regulations that Stall AI Innovation, but Warn that Policy Rollbacks Could Make Job Harder

With DeepSeek Heightening Concerns, 83 Percent of CISOs Say Cyber Resilience is Now More Critical Than Traditional Cybersecurity, According to a New Absolute Security Survey Released Ahead of RSAC 2025

SEATTLE – Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) overwhelmingly support the current Administration’s Executive Order (EO) to eliminate regulations that stall AI innovation. At the same time, a majority of CISOs caution that deregulation may make securing their organizations more difficult — driving them to prioritize resilience as a key part of their security strategy. These top findings were revealed in a Censuswide survey of 500 U.S.-based CISOs, commissioned by Absolute Security, a leader in enterprise resilience.  

Additional findings showed CISOs’ attitudes and concerns about the changing regulatory environment, rise of AI in the workplace, and DeepSeek, a China-based generative AI platform.

Deregulation Fuels Optimism, Shifts Focus to Resilience

Consistent with the EO, a full 79 percent agreed AI policies that hinder innovation should be reviewed and revoked, with 70 percent anticipating further deregulation on the horizon. This shift in the approach to governance is viewed as a positive step in the future of AI, however, 61 percent said it makes it harder to protect their organizations from threats and cyber risk.

The rapid shift to slash government tech oversight along with the rapid adoption of AI in the US has led security leaders to rethink their priorities. A total of 83 percent now agree that cyber resilience is more critical for their organization than traditional cybersecurity measures, with 90 percent reporting they now have a cyber resilience strategy in place.

DeepSeek, AI Raise Stakes

CISOs reported that DeepSeek is troubling. Of those polled, 69 percent say its use will increase the volume of cyberattacks, with 65 percent reporting they have banned it in their organizations.

Still, security leaders are allowing AI, with 89 percent saying there is a strong level of adoption across their organizations. However, 44 percent are not aware of how widely generative AI tools are in use or what information is being uploaded into them, with 71 percent saying Shadow AI use will eventually lead to a data breach.

Despite optimism around fewer regulations leading to more growth in AI, CISOs do want government to play a significant role when it comes to DeepSeek. Among those polled, 77 percent said it’s government’s responsibility to regulate this generative AI platform as it did with TikTok.

“CISOs polled are being loud and clear, they are fully on board with removing barriers that stall innovation and are aware of the risks caused by fast-moving technology shifts,” said Christy Wyatt, Absolute Security. “The survey also reveals that security leaders are adopting resilience-focused strategies to ensure their organizations remain secure in a world that is being radically reshaped by AI.”  

To dive deeper into the results of this survey, read the blog: AI Moves Faster than Security, CISOs Say Resilience is Way Forward. 

To learn more about the results of the survey, challenges organizations face today, and how Security & Risk Management (SRM) leaders are embedding resilience into their infrastructures, join Absolute Security at RSAC 2025 for a fireside chat with Jen Easterly, Former Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and a live panel discussion with enterprise SRM leaders. Register to attend today. 

About Absolute Security

Absolute Security, a global leader in Autonomous Cyber Resilience, provides the world's most advanced AI-native platform for defending against threats, reducing risk, and recovering immediately from cyber disruptions. 

The Absolute Cyber Resilience Platform is powered by Absolute Persistence®, a patented innovation built into endpoint device firmware. The platform leverages trusted, real-time telemetry from across endpoint device fleets to autonomously detect risk, remediate disruptions, and recover and rehydrate devices and network connections to an operational, secure, and compliant state in minutes. Thousands of global enterprise customers rely on these capabilities to stop downtime before it becomes a costly financial loss. 

Through partnerships with the world's leading device manufacturers, Absolute is embedded in the firmware of 600 million endpoints — giving customers instant, at-scale activation and fast time to value. 

Absolute Security: We Stop Downtime. 

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