AI Agents’ Impact on Product Launches
AI agents have been a significant component in many recent innovative product launches, but cybersecurity experts are divided on their benefits and risks.
According to SailPoint’s data, 96% of tech professionals view AI agents as an escalating security threat. However, nearly all respondents plan to increase their use of agentic AI in the upcoming year.
The primary concerns raised by respondents include access to sensitive data and unintentional actions, with a third citing unauthorized data sharing as a major worry.
Data and Privacy Concerns
Similar issues arise in generative AI platforms where models often produce incorrect or false outcomes. The enduring “black box” challenge means that experts struggle to understand why an AI made a mistake.
Privacy remains a significant issue for AI models, which need substantial data sets. While well-established gen AI platforms like ChatGPT are designed to safeguard sensitive information, AI agents frequently require access to private details for their operations, including financial records.
According to the SailPoint study, nearly 25% of respondents reported that their AI agents had inadvertently disclosed access credentials.
Additionally, 80% of respondents observed that their companies’ AI agents were performing unintended actions, such as unauthorized system access, dissemination of protected data, and retrieval of inappropriate content.
The Emergence of Agentic Commerce
Despite these concerns, the era of agentic commerce is advancing. Visa and Mastercard have launched platforms that are transforming AI agents into personal shoppers, allowing them to browse and purchase items with minimal user intervention.
PayPal followed suit by partnering with Perplexity to integrate payments directly within the AI platform’s chat interface.
With the immense potential of AI agents, numerous additional initiatives are likely to emerge across various industries. However, organizations must continually prioritize privacy and security in these endeavors.
The SailPoint study also found that 92% of respondents believe it is crucial to govern AI agents for enterprise security.