CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz warns against rising AI spending by companies, and it is not about job losses, but ‘dangerous’ …

Crowdstrike CEO George Kurtz has issued a stark warning about the risks of unchecked AI spending by companies. Speaking during the company’s first-quarter earnings call, Kurtz said that the danger is not about job losses but about the security vulnerabilities AI is accelerating. He also compared the moment to Apple’s iPhone launch, noting that just as smartphones reshaped industries, AI-powered cyber threats are compressing disruption timelines into mere months. Kurtz revealed that a newly released AI model, developed in association with Anthropic, can identify vulnerabilities and also connect them into attack chains, effectively automating tasks once reserved for elite hackers. “Any human or agent can now be a cyberhacker,” Kurtz warned. “Or worse, wage serious cyber attacks that threaten enterprise survival, nation state continuity, and critical infrastructure.”He further added that CrowdStrike recently assessed a Fortune 100 company after the release of the model and rounded around 45 million vulnerabilities, underscoring the scale of the challenge.Global AI spending is projected to hit $2.5 trillion, according to Gartner, yet only a fraction of organisations have advanced AI security strategies in place. Kurtz believes that companies are embracing AI much faster than they are securing it, creating what he called cybersecurity’s version of Y2K, a moment demanding urgent investment in protection measures. Explaining the scenario Kurtz also drew parallels between the smartphone revolution and today’s AI disruption. While the iPhone took years to reshape industries, AI-driven cyber threats are evolving at an unprecedented speed. “More happened in a matter of weeks in cybersecurity than in the whole year prior,” he said, highlighting the compressed timeline.Despite the warning, CrowdStrike reported strong financial results. First-quarter revenue rose 26% year-over-year to $1.39 billion, beating analyst estimates of $1.36 billion. Adjusted earnings came in at $1.10 per share, ahead of expectations of $1.07. Subscription revenue grew 26% to $1.32 billion, while annual recurring revenue climbed 24% to $5.51 billion after adding $255.8 million in net new ARR.