CyberEdBoard Releases "AI Fear and Risk Management" White Paper in Partnership With Global Working Group

Princeton, NJ, September 28, 2025 --(PR.com)-- CyberEdBoard, ISMG’s premier community for cybersecurity executives worldwide, today announced the publication of its “AI Fear and Risk Management” white paper, developed in collaboration with the recently established AI Fear and Risk Management Working Group.

This initiative brought together a distinguished body of CISOs, researchers, policymakers and business leaders who share a common mission: to reframe fear surrounding artificial intelligence into a powerful force for building secure, responsible and innovative adoption strategies.

The release of this white paper comes at a pivotal moment for business and cybersecurity. As organizations across industries face both opportunity and uncertainty with the rapid rise of AI and generative AI technologies, the Working Group has set out to provide a much-needed framework.

Rather than dismissing or exploiting fear, the report positions it as valuable intelligence for building robust security controls, showing how organizations can move beyond paralysis and confusion into structured governance and informed decision-making.

“We had a chance to pull in people from CyberEdBoard and practitioners who are running very large capabilities of AI or are at different places on the spectrum of AI, and hear how they dealt with implementation challenges and organizational risks,” said James DeLuccia, product security chief at Honeywell and CyberEdBoard AI Fear and Risk Management Working Group chair. “We sat down with practitioners who aren’t just theorizing, but actually asking, ‘What if we plug this in? What happens next?'”

The white paper analyzes in depth five fundamental fears that dominate the AI conversation:

· The knowledge gap created by the “black box” nature of advanced systems;
· The loss of control and concerns about autonomous behavior;
· Heightened risks of exploitation and misuse;
· The paradox of demanding perfection from AI while tolerating human error;
· The powerful role of cultural narratives and media-driven perceptions.

Key recommendations include embedding AI within existing control frameworks rather than treating it as an exception; preparing for an inevitable wave of audits by establishing explainability and accountability measures; reframing organizational culture to see AI as a tool rather than an existential threat; and creating clear chains of responsibility to resolve accountability gaps.

Beyond identifying fears, it also provides immediate implementation strategies including zones-and-conduits risk management, zero trust AI architecture and ISO 42001-compliant governance structures.

The white paper underscores that security must remain the foundation: “Security first, AI second,” as the Working Group asserts.

The AI Fear and Risk Management Working Group was launched earlier this year under the CyberEdBoard brand. It is a unique collective of global experts, representing industries including finance, healthcare, technology and government.

The group’s mission is to bring clarity and consistency to how organizations understand and respond to AI risks, separating genuine threats from hype and speculation. Members are actively developing narratives, governance models and educational frameworks that leaders can adopt immediately to bring rationality and confidence to AI strategies.

“When CISOs and security leaders express genuine concern about AI adoption, that’s not resistance – that’s professional wisdom recognizing real complexity,” said David Elichman, chief collaboration officer at ISMG. “CyberEdBoard’s role is to harness that collective intelligence and transform it into the strategic frameworks our members need to lead their organizations forward.”

CyberEdBoard has always focused on meeting the real needs of the global cybersecurity community and empowering its members. This white paper is part of that mission. It gives leaders the tools they need to move beyond being the “department of no” and instead become the “department of how” – the people who make innovation both possible and secure.

The white paper concludes with a call to action for security leaders to embrace fear not as an inhibitor but as a guide for building mature governance structures.

“AI Fear and Risk Management” is available for download here: https://ismg.io/resource/ai-fear-risk-management/?utm_source=Press+Release&utm_medium=Press+Release&utm_campaign=CEB+AI+Fear+and+Risk+Management+White+Paper&utm_id=CEB+AI+Fear+and+Risk+Management+White+Paper.

About ISMG

Information Security Media Group (ISMG) is the world’s largest media organization devoted solely to cybersecurity, information technology, artificial intelligence and operational technology. Each of our 38 media properties provides education, research and news that is specifically tailored to key vertical sectors including banking, healthcare and the public sector; geographies from North America to Southeast Asia; and topics such as data breach prevention, cyber risk assessment, OT security, AI and fraud. Our annual global summit series connects senior security professionals with industry thought leaders to find actionable solutions for pressing cybersecurity challenges.

About CyberEdBoard

CyberEdBoard is the premier members-only community of executives and thought leaders in the fields of security and IT. CyberEdBoard membership provides executives with a powerful peer-driven collaborative ecosystem and library of resources to address complex challenges shared by CISOs and senior security leaders worldwide. Executive members utilize the CyberEdBoard engagement platform to further enhance their professional brands, create and exchange member-exclusive resources, obtain accredited education and content, contribute in the executive mentor marketplace and seamlessly connect with senior security peers and experts around the world.