The data leaves no doubt: artificial intelligence (AI) topics dominate content engagement among cybersecurity buyers. From using AI-driven threat detection and AI-ready data to combating AI-powered attacks and deepfakes, security leaders need timely insights into the top opportunities and threats amid the AI boom.
Marketers should focus on engaging their target audience through cybersecurity content marketing that wins mindshare with AI messaging. According to the 2025 CISO Engagement and Decision Drivers Study from CyberTheory and Cyentia Institute, 56% of cybersecurity professionals across the ISMG media network engaged with AI and machine learning content during Q4 2024 and Q1 2025 — outperforming the next closest topic (cloud data security and resilience) by more than 20 percentage points.
Vendors can seize this timely engagement opportunity for AI-enhanced content marketing by effectively delivering AI-related narratives and insights that address specific challenges. Those that delay AI adoption risk getting left behind by competitors at a key moment of innovation.
AI Content Accelerates Audience Engagement
Cybersecurity content engagement has risen rapidly, and so has the availability of content about AI topics. The annual number of sponsored and editorial content assets published across the ISMG network accelerated by 520% from 2022 to 2024, and Q1 2025 saw a further year-over-year surge of 31%.
This shift gives marketers the opportunity to capture cybersecurity professionals’ attention and influence purchasing decisions through B2B content marketing services focused on AI topics.
Traditional engagement strongholds like cybercrime, ransomware, and zero trust remain as relevant as ever, but they’re increasingly viewed through an AI lens. Vendors can capture wider attention by adapting their messaging with a throughline to AI.
Targeted Insights Drive Engagement with Leaders and Practitioners
Simply increasing more AI-related content won’t suffice. Everyone already knows that “AI will transform security.”
Security professionals need details on the who, what, where, when, and why of AI solutions and risks. Organizations should reframe their value proposition and their content strategy to showcase AI-backed capabilities and solutions for evolving risks.
For example, analyzing content engagement reveals rising interest in specific solutions:
- #7: Microsoft Copilot for Security cracked the top 10 sponsored topics for the first time, showing increased interest in that popular AI-backed application.
- #20: AI-Powered Cloud Next-Generation Firewalls saw the largest engagement boost of any sponsored topic, jumping 89 places into 20th position.
Tailor these AI insights to fit your target audience’s needs. Executives seek information about the outcomes and business benefits that AI can enable. When targeting security leaders, highlight those benefits with real-world use cases showing strategic value. Practitioners, on the other hand, prioritize actionable solutions, particularly content with details on implementation and operational impact.
AI Topics Win in Every Industry, but Professionals Want Sector-Specific Insights
AI topics lead across all industries, but strategy and execution differ by sector. Each vertical has distinct AI priorities shaped by regulatory requirements, operational models, and competitive pressures.
Engagement varies by industry vertical and subtopic, so marketers can use those data-backed insights to inform precision tactics based on target personas. In particular, financial services industries showed high engagement with AI content, drawing two-thirds of all subscribers from insurance (67%) and banking organizations (66%), plus 60% from finance companies, which signals widespread interest across a highly regulated sector.
Your financial services prospects care about different AI use cases than your leads in manufacturing. Depending on the ideal customer profile, marketers can fuel attention by customizing content to address vertical-specific AI use cases and risks. That content can also map to the buyer journey as part of a full-funnel content engagement strategy.
AI even forges connections across different cybersecurity topics, such as with the convergence of operational technology (OT) and IT. Critical infrastructure organizations need insights into how AI impacts automation, operational efficiency, compliance, and other areas.
Drive Results with AI-First Messaging
Cybersecurity vendors should map their AI messaging strategy and use these five checkpoints:
- AI-first content tracks: Reframe your value proposition in the context of AI.
- Vertical-specific views: Develop industry-based AI narratives.
- Outcome-driven messaging: Focus on benefits, use cases, and business impact.
- Cross-category integration: Use AI to unify offerings.
- Performance optimization: Shift paid content budget toward AI-adjacent topics.
Opportunities for differentiation in content won’t last long. A specialized cybersecurity content marketing agency can help vendors build comprehensive, outcome-focused, vertical-specific content that cultivates mindshare. Other vendors that don’t seize this moment will be left behind. It’s not too late to start, but you need to get into gear and drive your AI messaging in the market — or else you’ll be lapped by competitors.