Industrial OT Security Teams Turn to AI Even as Asset Visibility Remains Low

New data released by Honeywell reveals a paradox in operational technology (OT) security: while a large majority of leaders claim their programs are mature, only a fraction can confirm they have a complete inventory of the assets they protect.

The survey, cited by SecurityWeek, shows that just 21% of industrial security executives report maintaining a full, up‑to‑date catalog of OT devices. At the same time, 88% describe their security initiatives as mature, suggesting a disconnect between perceived capability and actual asset awareness.

Comprehensive asset inventories are a cornerstone of effective OT defense, enabling organizations to prioritize patches, monitor anomalous behavior, and comply with industry regulations. In practice, however, many plants grapple with legacy systems, fragmented networks and limited visibility into third‑party equipment, making it difficult to achieve a truly exhaustive list.

Despite these hurdles, the same report notes a growing willingness among OT security teams to experiment with artificial‑intelligence tools. Participants highlighted AI‑driven anomaly detection, predictive maintenance analytics and automated threat‑intel correlation as areas where the technology is already delivering measurable value.

Yet the promise of AI has not translated into fully autonomous defenses. Respondents indicated that human oversight remains the norm, with most AI applications serving as decision‑support rather than replacement for security operators. Concerns cited include the risk of false positives, the difficulty of training models on scarce OT data, and the potential for unintended disruption of critical processes.

The findings underscore a broader industry challenge: balancing the need for rapid, data‑rich detection with the realities of operational continuity. Regulators and standards bodies are increasingly emphasizing asset visibility as a prerequisite for robust cyber‑risk management, and the gap identified by Honeywell may prompt more focused investment in inventory tools and governance frameworks.

Looking ahead, experts suggest that incremental AI adoption—paired with clearer asset mapping and stronger cross‑functional collaboration—could narrow the divide between perceived maturity and actual security posture. As the OT landscape continues to evolve, organizations that can align intelligent automation with comprehensive asset awareness are likely to set the benchmark for resilient industrial operations.