GRC SaaS company Diligent recently released a whitepaper predicting five cyber trends that will influence business decision-making in 2025.
AI categories

“Boards are concerned about two things regarding AI,” said Dottie Schindlinger, executive director of the Diligent Institute, “What are the risks of moving too quickly? And what are the risks of not moving quickly enough?”
According to the report, organisations will examine AI progress from two perspectives: digital-native companies that seek to use AI to innovate and non-digital-native companies that seek to maximise AI to drive efficiency and reduce costs.
Establishing human safeguards
The report also suggests that boards will focus on safeguarding generative AI technologies for the workforce and data privacy and security.
Raising AI competency
Organisations will also seek genuine AI experts who have used the technology for a significant time. Board members will also seek to increase their basic competency level around AI.
Data monitoring
Schindlinger underlines the pressing need for real-time dashboards to monitor data more effectively.
“You need something real-time to keep a constant eye on developments and maintain a current or future-focused approach. We may see the need for boards to touch base much more often. Things are going to be fluid as we’ll be moving way too fast to wait for the perfectly crafted board deck once a quarter,” she said.
Scenario planning
Schindlinger predicts that in 2025, organisations will prioritise scenario planning around likely high-impact risks, underscoring the necessity and preparedness it brings to adapt to multiple risk areas.
The whitepaper was inspired by the discussions and key takeaways from the Diligent Institute Elevate Leadership Summit, where leaders discussed the evolving risks and opportunities businesses face in 2025.