Key Takeaways
- Readiness gap: Corporate Affairs teams globally show low readiness for AI-driven misinformation incidents, with fewer than one in five saying they are prepared and more than four in ten saying they are not very prepared.
- Regional differences: Confidence in preparedness is weakest in Europe and Africa, where more than half of practitioners say they are not prepared or cannot answer the question, while responses in North America cluster around moderate rather than high confidence.
- Vulnerable sectors: Sector differences are pronounced. ICT and media entertainment teams report the highest confidence, while consumer products and retail is the least-prepared sector, pointing to a significant reputational vulnerability for consumer-facing brands.
GlobeScan’s 2026 Corporate Affairs research, based on a global survey of nearly 300 senior Corporate Affairs practitioners across regions and sectors, points to a widening gap between the growing prominence of AI-related risks and organizational readiness to manage them. Forty-four percent of Corporate Affairs practitioners worldwide now cite the impact of AI and technology as one of the biggest risks facing global business over the next two years, up sharply from 17 percent in 2025. Yet confidence in managing one of the most immediate AI-driven threats, deepfakes, and AI-generated misinformation remains low.
Globally, only 18 percent of practitioners say their Corporate Affairs function is prepared to manage a deepfake or AI-driven misinformation incident, while 43 percent say it is not very prepared. A further 30 percent describe themselves as somewhat prepared, suggesting that many organizations have partial plans or early-stage capabilities rather than fully embedded and tested response mechanisms. As AI accelerates the credibility, speed, and reach of false content, this gap represents a growing reputational risk.
Regional patterns reveal important nuances, as Europe stands out for particularly low confidence, with 46 percent saying their Corporate Affairs function is not prepared and another 11 percent unable to answer; in Africa, more than half of respondents also fall into these two categories (42% and 15%, respectively). In North America, fewer practitioners claim to be fully ready (11%) while many place themselves in the somewhat prepared category (42%), reflecting a cautious assessment of the complexity involved in managing AI-driven misinformation. At the other end of the spectrum, respondents in Latin America report the strongest confidence in feeling prepared, perhaps reflecting an optimistic underestimation of the threat ahead.
Sector results reinforce that exposure and readiness do not always align. Corporate Affairs practitioners in the ICT and media entertainment sector are comparatively more confident, with around one-third saying their function is prepared, consistent with closer proximity to digital platforms and AI-related risks. In contrast, consumer products and retail shows the weakest readiness profile, with 62 percent saying they are not very prepared and just 8 percent saying they are prepared. This is a notable vulnerability for sectors that rely heavily on brand trust and rapid, high-visibility communications. Food, agriculture, and beverage companies sit closer to the middle, with many reporting being somewhat prepared but relatively few expressing strong confidence.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
For Corporate Affairs leaders, the findings underline that AI‑driven misinformation has become a core reputational risk and one that is advancing faster than organizational readiness. The gap between being somewhat prepared and truly prepared matters, as deepfake‑driven incidents compress decision timelines and amplify exposure before facts are fully established. Closing this gap requires moving from confidence to capability, with clear escalation protocols, defined decision rights, and tested response playbooks that extend beyond communications teams to legal, cybersecurity, and senior leadership. Taken together, this elevates the management of AI‑driven misinformation into a foundational Corporate Affairs capability.
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Survey Question: Deepfakes and AI‑generated misinformation are increasingly seen as a risk for organizations. How prepared do you believe your Corporate Affairs function is to manage a deepfake or AI‑driven misinformation incident?
