A systematic review of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity integration covering national strategies, economic implications, and policy recommendations

The convergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cybersecurity has become a significant research domain as digital ecosystems grow more intricate. As both disciplines advance at a rapid pace, there exists an ongoing necessity to develop clear perspectives to effectively navigate the complexities inherent at their intersection. This research presents a methodical review of existing literature, investigating how AI strengthens cybersecurity defenses while simultaneously amplifying the security vulnerabilities present within AI systems. The study examines the prospects, obstacles, and ethical challenges associated with merging AI and cybersecurity. Furthermore, it assesses the influence of AI-driven cybersecurity on national priorities, the financial consequences of national approaches, and policy measures across geographic regions including the USA, EU, China, UAE, and Africa. To conduct this investigation, 53 primary studies were chosen from an initial pool of 2758 records sourced from academic repositories such as IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, and others, spanning the period from 2016 to February 2025. This examination highlights the urgent need for ethical frameworks, adaptable AI architectures, and global collaborations to ensure that AI technologies are deployed in a secure and responsible fashion, while also acknowledging the potential risks associated with quantum-enabled cyber threats. The research concludes with recommendations for national approaches that embed AI technologies to strengthen cybersecurity, emphasizing the importance of capacity building, ethical oversight, and forward-looking policy formulation.