Investment priorities in the US cybersecurity market are shifting toward AI-driven security, according to a new analysis by Social Links, a company specializing in OSINT and AI fraud protection. Specialists analyzed funding activity over the past three years in the United States, based on Crunchbase data. In 2024, AI security was associated with approximately 100-120 deals. By early 2026, that number had risen to an estimated 150-180 deals, making it one of the most active categories by transaction volume.
This is also reflected in funding terms. AI-related cybersecurity projects raised over $2 billion in 2024. In 2025, this figure grew to more than $7 billion and continues to rise in 2026.
“The growth in investment reflects a broader market trend. Hackers and fraudsters are rapidly adapting to AI capabilities. Businesses and government institutions need to be prepared for this surge. In many ways, AI-driven fraud is about scale. And current systems are not capable of handling this volume. That is why cybersecurity solutions built on AI are becoming more competitive and in higher demand”, – says Ivan Shkvarun, founder of Social
Links, AI risk expert.
AI-driven cybersecurity solutions at early stages are not yet the primary focus for investors, who continue to favor late-stage startups. In 2025, a significant share of capital was directed toward established areas such as cloud security, cyber intelligence, and defense technologies. However, these categories are increasingly interconnected with emerging AI-driven solutions rather than existing in isolation.
A recent deal between Google and Wiz shows that AI-driven solutions are becoming part of the cybersecurity sector. Google spent $32 billion to acquire Wiz, making it the biggest acquisition in Google’s history, as well as the largest-ever acquisition of a venture-backed startup.
“It will help them (Google Cloud and Wiz – note) stay ahead of the curve by detecting emerging threats created using AI models, protecting against threats to AI models, and using AI models to help security professionals hunt for threats more effectively”, – Google writes on its official website.
“Large companies and investors have started to view the cybersecurity market differently. They are increasingly focusing on AI protection, digital identity, and combating online risks, as fraud and cyberattacks begin to merge into one large problem”, says Ivan Shkvarun.
This is also highlighted in Gartner’s latest report. The company identified several trends in the sector:
- Companies are massively deploying AI agents, often without control. This creates new risks: data leaks, insecure code, and “shadow” AI tools inside organizations.
- Cybersecurity is increasingly tied to AI. Hackers use AI, making attacks faster and more complex. As a result, companies are beginning to implement AI-based protection, monitoring, and threat analysis.
- Identity security requires a new strategy. It is necessary to protect not only humans but also “machine identities”: AI agents, bots, services, and APIs. Access control is becoming one of the main challenges.
According to Social Links’ analysis, funding in identity-related security grew from approximately $950 million in 2024 to more than $4.4 billion in 2025, with continued momentum into 2026. These figures reflect mounting investor concern over AI-driven impersonation, synthetic identities, and financial fraud, and signal that cyber-fraud may be the next central pillar of cybersecurity investment strategy.
