At A Glance
AI-powered impersonation, digital doppelgängers and growing consumer skepticism could reshape the data breach landscape in 2027. Here’s what organizations should be preparing for.The data breach landscape is entering a new era. As artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates cybercrime, stolen information accumulates and consumers become increasingly skeptical of digital interactions, organizations may face challenges that extend well beyond preventing the next breach.
The numbers already point to growing risk. The Identity Theft Resource Center recorded1,803 data compromises and more than 471 million victim notices in the first half of 2026 alone. Meanwhile, consumer fraud losses reached nearly$16 billion in 2025, up from $12.5 billion the year before.
Experian’s 14th Annual Data Breach Industry Forecast: Consumers at Risk looks ahead to the trends that could reshape cybersecurity, fraud and breach response in 2027.
When seeing is no longer believing
This year’s forecast explores a growing challenge for businesses: establishing trust in an environment where AI can make fraudulent identities, communications and interactions increasingly difficult to distinguish from legitimate ones.
Among the trends Experian is watching are the growing importance of identity verification, the potential evolution of AI-powered identity crime and mounting “trust fatigue” among consumers.
That last issue could become particularly important following a data breach.56% of consumers are already very or extremely concerned about AI-enabled scams.As impersonation becomes more sophisticated, organizations may need to consider not only what they communicate during a breach, but how they demonstrate that those communications can be trusted.
Prepare for what’s next
Drawing on our more than two decades of experience helping companies navigate data breaches, our forecast offers a look at emerging risks and what they could mean for businesses and consumers in the year ahead.
