South African Firms Struggle with Ungoverned AI Agents and Deepfake Threats
Event summary
- 38% of South African cybersecurity leaders report AI agents taking autonomous actions within organizational workflows.
- 64% of organizations admit their use of AI is unapproved or ungoverned, creating 'Shadow AI' risks.
- 86% of employees find deepfake content so realistic they can't trust what they see or hear.
- Only 14% of organizations have achieved the 'gold standard' maturity level for managing human-and-agent-related cyber risk.
The big picture
KnowBe4's research highlights a critical gap in South African organizations' ability to secure both human and AI workforce components. As AI agents become more autonomous, the lack of governance frameworks exposes firms to unprecedented cyber risks. The findings underscore broader industry challenges in balancing rapid digital transformation with robust security measures.
What we're watching
- Governance Dynamics
- How South African firms will address the 64% of ungoverned AI usage to mitigate 'Shadow AI' risks.
- Security Culture
- Whether organizations prioritizing cybersecurity as a culture over a function can sustain long-term security improvements.
- Deepfake Impact
- The pace at which deepfake technology will evolve and its potential to further undermine trust in digital communications.
Related topics