TLDR: A new report from Rockwell Automation reveals that cyber threats are a top concern for manufacturers, with 61% of cybersecurity professionals planning to adopt AI/ML for defense in the next year. Concurrently, KELA’s 2025 AI Threat Report warns of a 200% surge in malicious AI tools, indicating threat actors are increasingly weaponizing AI for automated attacks, sophisticated phishing, and evasive malware, directly impacting industrial sectors.
The manufacturing industry is facing an escalating wave of AI-powered cyber threats, compelling a significant shift towards advanced defensive strategies. According to Rockwell Automation’s 10th annual ‘State of Smart Manufacturing Report,’ cybersecurity has emerged as the foremost external concern for manufacturers, second only to economic conditions. This alarming trend is further exacerbated by the increasing integration of Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) within smart manufacturing operations, which expands the attack surface and heightens vulnerability to cyberattacks.
Stephen Ford, Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at Rockwell Automation, emphasized the critical nature of the situation: ‘Cyber risk is now one of the top threats to manufacturing growth. You can’t protect tomorrow’s enterprise with yesterday’s tools. AI is a critical part of the modern security stack, enabling manufacturers to detect threats in real time, maintain productivity, and stay ahead in an increasingly aggressive threat landscape.’
In response to this evolving threat landscape, a substantial 61% of cybersecurity and IT professionals in manufacturing are planning to adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for security purposes within the next 12 months. This rate of AI adoption in cybersecurity outpaces general manufacturing by 12 percentage points, highlighting the sector’s urgent need for advanced protective measures. Furthermore, 48% of cybersecurity professionals recognize that securing converging IT/OT architectures is crucial for positive outcomes over the next five years.
Adding to the urgency, KELA’s ‘2025 AI Threat Report’ provides a stark warning about the offensive capabilities of threat actors. The report indicates a staggering 200% surge in mentions of malicious AI tools across cybercrime forums. Cybercriminals are actively leveraging AI to automate attacks, craft highly sophisticated phishing and deepfake scams, and develop more evasive malware. These AI-driven tactics make social engineering attacks more effective and render traditional malware detection increasingly difficult.
KELA’s findings underscore that threat actors are rapidly weaponizing AI to accelerate their campaigns, including phishing, vulnerability research, malware creation, automated cyberattacks, and financial crimes. The report stresses the need for organizations to adopt an ‘AI-driven security mindset’ to effectively detect and block these advanced threats in real-time.
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The convergence of IT and OT systems, while driving smart manufacturing, inadvertently creates new avenues for cyber exploitation. The growing sophistication of AI-powered attacks necessitates a proactive and equally advanced defense. The manufacturing sector’s accelerated adoption of AI for cybersecurity is a direct reflection of this critical need to safeguard industrial operations against an increasingly aggressive and intelligent adversary.
