India's Data Breach Costs Soar as AI Adoption Pays Off

Data breaches in India are becoming increasingly costly, according to a new report from IBM. The average cost of a breach has risen to ₹25.5 crore (approximately $3.2 million USD), a 16% increase from last year's figure. This significant jump is accompanied by an alarming rise in the number of exposed records per breach, which now averages around 39,500.

Interestingly, companies that have adopted artificial intelligence (AI) for cybersecurity purposes seem to be reaping significant benefits. Those with strong AI adoption spent an average of ₹21.3 crore on breaches, compared to ₹31.6 crore by those without AI. Even partial use of AI helped reduce costs to ₹23.1 crore per breach.

Gaurav Agarwal, vice president of technology at IBM India and South Asia, emphasized the importance of embedding AI with agentic capabilities throughout the security lifecycle. He urged businesses to prioritize this strategy in order to build resilience and gain a competitive advantage.