Two-Thirds of Firms See AI Agents as Bigger Security Risk Than Humans

Event summary

  • 69% of cybersecurity professionals view AI agent vulnerabilities as a greater threat than human misuse of AI.
  • 86% agree AI agents cannot be trusted without unique, dynamic digital identities.
  • Only 28% of security leaders believe they can prevent damage from rogue AI agents.
  • 85% expect digital identities for AI agents to be as common as human and machine identities within five years.

The big picture

Keyfactor's research highlights a critical inflection point in enterprise AI adoption, where traditional security models fail to address the autonomous nature of AI agents. As organizations deploy increasingly powerful AI systems without adequate identity foundations, the widening trust gap poses significant security risks. This trend underscores the urgent need for robust digital identity frameworks to authenticate, govern, and audit AI agents operating autonomously within enterprise environments.

What we're watching

Governance Gaps
Whether enterprises can bridge the recognition-action gap in AI security governance before deployment outpaces safeguards.
C-Suite Awareness
The pace at which executive leadership prioritizes AI agent security risks amid accelerating adoption.
Identity Infrastructure
How quickly organizations implement scalable digital identity frameworks for AI agents to mitigate emerging security threats.

Related topics

Cybersecurity