F5 Report: Only 2% of Enterprises Are Fully AI-Ready as Security and Governance Challenges Persist

F5, a global leader in application and API security (NASDAQ: FFIV), has released its 2025 State of AI Application Strategy Report, revealing that while artificial intelligence adoption is rapidly growing, only 2% of global enterprises are highly AI-ready. Despite 77% of organizations demonstrating moderate AI readiness, most still grapple with critical security, governance, and cross-cloud integration challenges that hinder scalable AI implementation.

The report, based on insights from 650 global IT leaders and 150 AI strategists across companies with at least $200 million in annual revenue, provides a comprehensive snapshot of enterprise AI deployment, highlighting key pain points and strategic gaps in AI infrastructure.

Key Findings: Widespread Adoption, Limited Readiness

• AI Use in Applications: On average, 25% of enterprise applications use AI. However, this figure jumps significantly in highly AI-ready organizations and drops below one-quarter in low-readiness enterprises.

• Generative AI Growth: 70% of moderately ready companies have generative AI in active use, with widespread development underway across all readiness levels.

• Model Diversity: The average organization uses three AI models, including both paid (like GPT-4) and open-source options such as Meta's Llama, Mistral, and Google's Gemma.

AI Seen as a Security Enabler—But Protections Are Lagging

Although 71% of enterprises use AI to augment security, the report points to significant shortcomings in AI-specific security measures:

• Only 31% have deployed AI firewalls, and just 18% of moderately ready firms have implemented such protections.

• Data governance remains weak, with only 24% practicing continuous data labeling—raising risks of adversarial attacks and data misuse.

• Cross-cloud inconsistencies in hybrid environments continue to expose gaps in security and data governance.

AI Readiness Index and Recommendations

To guide enterprises toward scalable and secure AI adoption, F5 introduced its AI Readiness Index, measuring six operational maturity factors such as infrastructure alignment, governance, and security.

F5’s recommendations for AI scalability and protection include:

• Diversifying AI models while ensuring strong governance over open-source tools.

• Expanding AI use across operations, security, and analytics rather than limiting it to experimental settings.

• Deploying AI-specific protections, including firewalls and formalized data labeling, to safeguard enterprise workflows.

“As AI becomes core to business strategy, readiness requires more than experimentation—it demands security, scalability, and alignment,” said John Maddison, Chief Product and Corporate Marketing Officer at F5. “This report highlights the urgency for enterprises to operationalize AI with confidence and control.”

Middle East Enterprises Reflect Global Trends

Mohammed Abukhater, RVP for the Middle East, Türkiye, and Africa at F5, emphasized the report’s relevance to the regional market:
“The trends we see in the Middle East mirror the global picture. AI is gaining traction, but many organizations lack the mature governance frameworks and cross-cloud security necessary to scale effectively. The AI Readiness Index provides a practical benchmark for businesses to improve resilience and unlock AI’s full potential.”

As AI adoption accelerates across industries, F5’s report serves as both a diagnostic tool and roadmap for enterprises aiming to safely scale their AI investments. Organizations can download the full report to benchmark their AI maturity, address gaps, and prepare for a more secure, scalable AI-driven future.