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TechRadar
TechRadar
Sead Fadilpašić

Only 9% of global firms are ready to handle AI-driven threats, and many are dangerously overconfident

Concept image of a person having their face scanned, indicating the risk of identity theft.

  • Ping Identity report links verified trust to stronger performance
  • Firms with real-time identity checks see higher conversions, lower fraud, faster onboarding
  • Only 9% meet IDC’s criteria, leaving most exposed in AI-driven environments

Companies that constantly verify user identities in real time perform better than those that don’t. They grow faster, reduce fraud, stay more compliant, and run more efficiently, especially as AI-driven threats increase.

This is according to a new paper recently published by Ping Identity. Based on a survey of almost 800 organizations worldwide, the paper says most respondents are unrealistic about their efforts in establishing trusted digital identities, which exposes them to different risks.

Ping says businesses that meet verified trust criteria perform “significantly” better compared to those that don’t: they have 51% higher customer registration conversions, 44% stronger compliance readiness, 43% lower fraud losses, and 47% faster workforce onboarding time.

Overly confident in their efforts

According to IDC, which ran the polls, verified trust is “a continuous assurance that every digital interaction, whether human or machine/AI agent, is tied to an independently verified identity and remains trusted over time.”

But there is a significant disconnect from reality when it comes to verified trust. Roughly half (51%) of organizations believe they are ahead of their peers in establishing trusted digital identity, but less than a tenth (9%) meet IDC’s criteria.

Two-thirds (69%) verify 75-100% of trust flows, compared to 16-19% of early-stage adopters, and 94% of leaders operate at enterprise scale across trust flows, while early-stage organizations remain confined to pilot deployments.

Finally, leaders are opting for biometrics, passkeys, and digital wallets (80-83%), while starters can’t pass the 30% mark.

For Emanuel Figueroa, Senior Research Analyst at IDC, verified trust has grown into a “prerequisite for operating at scale in AI-driven environments”.

“As AI increases autonomy and complexity, identity becomes the mechanism for control, accountability, and confidence. Organizations that establish this foundation early will move faster with less risk; those that don’t will accumulate cost, friction, and regulatory exposure over time.”



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