AlixPartners survey reveals a widening gap between escalating enterprise threats and corporate preparedness across AI, cyber, and financial crime.

Fewer than half of U.S. organizations feel prepared to face major enterprise risks spanning from artificial intelligence and cybersecurity to financial crime and corporate disputes, a new survey from AlixPartners finds.

Why it matters: The report, based on responses from 500 senior executives, suggests a widening gap between the escalating complexity of threats and corporate readiness, exposing businesses to significant operational and financial vulnerabilities.

By the numbers:

  • 65% of respondents cite cybersecurity incidents as one of the most concerning risk events for the next 12 months.
  • 80% say a fragmented AI regulatory landscape puts their compliance efforts at risk.
  • 63% expect corporate disputes, such as commercial litigation, to increase in the next year.
  • Only 48% feel "very prepared" to address financial crime and fraud.
  • Just 35% say their organization is "very prepared" for potential changes in sanctions, down from 44% in 2025.
Zoom in: The rapid adoption of AI is creating a critical new risk frontier.

  • Concern over AI-powered cyberattacks doubled from last year, with 34% of respondents citing it as a top cybersecurity worry. However, nearly 75% have not yet completed system upgrades to address such threats.
  • On the regulatory front, a federal push for an "innovation-first" approach to AI clashes with stricter rules in the EU and some U.S. states, creating a compliance challenge. Almost half (45%) of companies surveyed still lack key AI governance elements.
The big picture: Beyond technology, preparedness for geopolitical and economic risks is eroding.

  • Confidence in handling supply chain disruptions has fallen, with 68% of organizations now not feeling "very prepared," compared to 59% last year.
  • Similarly, 65% are not "very prepared" for geopolitical and trade impacts on their operations, an increase from 61% in 2025.
  • The survey also points to a rise in fraud, with U.S. business leaders reporting revenue losses of nearly 10% to fraudulent activity in the past year, a 46% increase from 2024.
Between the lines: The adoption of new technologies like cryptocurrency is outpacing the implementation of risk controls.

  • While 59% of companies are already using or testing crypto for payments, fewer than half have established more involved controls like escalation procedures (45%) or third-party risk assessments (44%).
  • This uneven application of security measures could deepen exposure to fraud and financial crime in an already high-risk area.

See the full 2026 U.S. Risk Survey report here:

SOURCE: AlixPartners

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