2026 State of AI in Security & Development

Based on research with 450 CISOs, security leaders, developers, and AppSec engineers across Europe and the US.

AI is changing how software is built. It is also increasing security risk. Faster development, more tools, and AI-generated code are exposing weaknesses in how teams operate.

This report shows what security and engineering teams are dealing with in 2026.

Inside the report:

AI and real security incidents
How AI-generated code is already linked to incidents and where accountability sits when things go wrong.

Developer experience and risk
Why false positives and alert fatigue lead teams to bypass security controls.

Tool sprawl and fragile teams
How fragmented security tools and reliance on a few key engineers increase incident risk.

What works in practice
How stronger teams reduce noise and build security into developer workflows.

Includes an executive summary and deeper findings for security and engineering leaders.

Built by Aikido Security.

Written by:

Sooraj Shah

Sooraj Shah is Content Marketing Lead at Aikido Security. He has a background as a journalist for publications such as the BBC, the FT, Infosecurity Magazine and SC Magazine, and as a content marketer for B2B tech companies and start-ups.