EU plan to address the risks and opportunities of advanced AI for cybersecurity

The European Commission has presented a plan to address the risks and harness the opportunities of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) in cybersecurity.

While the AI can improve security, it can also be misused to identify vulnerabilities, automate attacks, and significantly increase the scale and speed of cyber incidents. The new plan will bring together EU countries, industry, and EU-level organisations to strengthen the cybersecurity of our digital landscape against the vulnerabilities posed by advanced AI.

Key actions

Evaluating AI models: The AI Act requires advanced AI models to be evaluated and their risks to be assessed before they are placed on the EU market. The Commission will help establish an EU evaluation capacity to strengthen third-party assessment of AI capabilities and risks globally, supporting the regulatory function of the AI Office.

Accessing advanced AI models: Europe needs clear and transparent conditions for accessing the most advanced AI systems. The Commission will work with the EU Agency for Cybersecurity to define a European blueprint for structured access to advanced AI capabilities for cybersecurity, supporting public and private organisations in accessing advanced AI models.

Testing AI for cybersecurity: The EU Agency for Cybersecurity and the Commission’s Joint Research Centre will create a secure platform to test AI for cybersecurity, including using simulated environments. This will bring know-how on the safe use of AI to operators in critical sectors.

Reinforcing the EU's cybersecurity and fixing vulnerabilities: The EU must protect its critical infrastructure. In line with the EU's cybersecurity rules, organisations should intensify cyber hygiene practices, risk management measures, and security by design principles. They should also start using available AI capabilities to fix vulnerabilities faster, as well as prevent and respond to cyberattacks. EU Agency for Cybersecurity will assist them in this transition, including guidance, recommendations, and best practices, as well as a campaign to secure critical open source software.

Scaling European AI capabilities for cyber: The EU must continue investing in its own advanced AI capabilities. For this, the AI Factories and future Gigafactories infrastructure and the European Tech equity capacity, announced in the Tech Sovereignty Package, are available. The Commission will also launch the EU Grand Challenge on AI for cybersecurity, bringing together companies, researchers, and organisations to develop AI solutions for cybersecurity and support the growth of the EU market.

The new plan aims to strengthen the EU’s cybersecurity framework. It builds on existing EU rules, including the AI Act, the Cyber Resilience Act, the Network and Information Systems Directive, and the Cyber Solidarity Act.

For more information

Press release

Factsheet

Action plan on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence

Publication date

7 July 2026

AuthorDirectorate-General for Communication