AI is compressing attack timelines and accelerating the speed and scale of cyber threats. For defenders, the challenge is how to use AI to keep pace and strengthen security operations. The World Economic Forum, in collaboration with KPMG, developed the white paper "Empowering Defenders: AI for Cybersecurity" to examine how organizations are deploying AI in practice and what it takes to achieve measurable outcomes. Drawing on real-world case studies across the cybersecurity lifecycle, the paper highlights where AI is already delivering tangible value and explores the critical decisions CISOs and business leaders must navigate as they move from experimentation to enterprise-scale adoption.