Cybersecurity has risen to the top of the manufacturing industry’s risk agenda. A new report from Rockwell Automation reveals that 61% of IT and security professionals plan to adopt AI and machine learning (ML) for cyber defense in the next year – 12 points ahead of general AI adoption across the sector.
Meanwhile, 30% of executives rank cyber threats as a top external risk, nearly on par with inflation and economic growth, which came in at 34%.
Rockwell Automation’s 10th Annual State of Manufacturing Report, based on responses from 1560 leaders in 17 countries, reveals that cybersecurity is fast becoming a business issue: 96% of manufacturers have either invested in or plan to invest in cybersecurity platforms within five years, and more than half already deploy them at scale.
AI-Powered Security Becomes the Standard
Security is now one of the most common use cases for AI in manufacturing, lagging only behind quality control. Companies are piloting AI-driven anomaly detection to spot deviations in OT systems, predictive vulnerability management to prioritize patching, and automated containment tools to isolate compromised assets before attackers can spread.
Experts warn, however, that AI isn’t only a force for good. Satish Swargam, principal security consultant at Black Duck, said shadow AI – unmonitored models deployed without permission – will soon become a major concern. Governance, he noted, should be treated like brakes on a car: essential for safety, not a drag on speed.
Convergence Expands the Attack Surface
Beyond AI, manufacturers are leaning on the data already flowing through their systems. 38% use operational data streams to drive cyber protections, while nearly half (48%) of cybersecurity professionals identified securing converged IT/OT architectures as critical to business outcomes over the next five years, compared with just 37% of all respondents.
This focus reflects a change both in how manufacturers operate and how they experience risk. As factory floor systems link directly with enterprise IT, attackers gain new paths to disrupt production. Derek Manky of Fortinet’s FortiGuard Labs notes that adversaries now use reconnaissance-as-a-service to map OT networks before deploying tailored workloads.
Real-time threat intelligence, he said, is critical to “detect and respond before attackers can impact industrial operations.”
Looking Ahead
By 2027, nearly all respondents expect AI to underpin not only threat detection but also process optimization and supply chain resilience. Industry evangelists describe this shift as “Industry 5.0,” where resilience, sustainability, and human-centric innovation are built into digital business.
It’s clear from Rockwell’s report that manufacturers are moving from piecemeal defense to enterprise resilience strategies. With IT and OT convergence widening the attack surface and AI promising both opportunity and risk, cybersecurity has become a competitive differentiator.
Josh is a Content writer at Bora. He graduated with a degree in Journalism in 2021 and has a background in cybersecurity PR. He's written on a wide range of topics, from AI to Zero Trust, and is particularly interested in the impacts of cybersecurity on the wider economy.
The opinions expressed in this post belong to the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Information Security Buzz.