According to Allianz, artificial intelligence (AI) has become one of the biggest global business risks for companies.
01/14/2026, 03:5101/14/2026, 03:51
According to the insurer, AI is a double-edged sword for companies, helpful and dangerous at the same time. In the new “risk barometer” from corporate insurer Allianz Commercial, AI has shot up from tenth to second place behind the long-standing leader cybercrime.
Allianz warns of the dangers of AI for companies.Image: www.imago-images.de
Both are related: Criminal hackers are increasingly using AI for their attacks. However, according to the risk barometer, the use of AI can be dangerous for a company even without any malicious intent, for example if managers and employees make wrong decisions based on incorrect data and information.
The three main dangers are related
The third largest global business risk this year is business interruptions. There is also a connection to cyber attacks: A common cause of business interruptions is online blackmail: hackers paralyze a company’s computer systems using encryption and demand large sums of money for the subsequent decryption.
Allianz Commercial is a subsidiary of the Munich DAX group; the company publishes its “risk barometer” every year at the beginning of the year. The assessments are based on a survey of 3,338 experts from 97 countries last fall. These include executives and managers from other companies, risk and claims consultants, insurance brokers, experts from industry associations and Allianz employees.
The respondents’ answers differ from country to country, but not fundamentally: AI risks came in second place in Switzerland, fourth place in Germany, and even first place in Austria.
AI is a blessing and a curse at the same time
AI is therefore a double-edged sword: a majority of companies see the technology as an opportunity, not least for the automated defense of malicious cyber attacks. But at the same time, many of the experts surveyed see major dangers: AI poses an ever-accelerating risk, said Michael Furtscheller, the regional manager for Germany and Switzerland – “perhaps also a blessing and a curse.”
According to this, cyber criminals use AI, among other things, to perfect “social engineering” in order to pose as managers and deceive their subordinates. “By writing very tailored emails that tell you to click there or do something else, be it cloning or generating speech, or even faking videos,” explained Michael Daum, head of cyber damage processing.
“The vast majority of attacks we see still require the intervention of a human – usually an employee – to make the attack possible.”
AI poses a double danger for companies from outside and inside
But attacks from outside are only one side of the problem, according to Allianz managers. The legal use of AI software by their own employees and managers also poses risks for companies. “AI by definition works with a certain degree of autonomy and therefore the results may be incorrect or fictitious,” said Allianz Commercial Manager Alexandra Braun.
“And incorrect or even discriminatory AI results can of course also lead to legal disputes or negative press reports and then to a loss of reputation and image for companies.” The risks inherent in AI also include copyright infringement if the software copies or uses protected information.
Wide range of other risks
The remaining risks in the global top ten range from politics to nature to the traditional uncertainties of business life. In fourth place are legislation and regulation, which refers to US tariff policy and other trade barriers as well as the bureaucracy that is complained about in many countries.
The next two ranks are followed by natural disasters and climate change, followed by political instability and violence, and negative economic developments such as inflation, fires and explosions. Tenth place is occupied by uncertainty about market developments, be it new competitors, company takeovers or other changes. (sda/dpa)