The use of AI in business generates numerous risks to information security. Therefore, it is time for companies to change their approach and move from a passive defense to a proactive approach in order to guarantee the security and longevity of their activities.
By the way, the intensity of information security risks is expanding very quickly. If, previously, the main threats came from hackers exploiting viruses, malware, email phishing or attacks on websites, the risks now also arise from connecting AI to data in the cloud, to chatbots and to APIs. Companies often focus only on individual and easily identifiable risks, while the real danger lies in the entire connected ecosystem.
The risk typology
The most common type of sensitive data breach occurs when employees inadvertently input customer information, contracts, price lists or source code into public AI tools.
Equally dangerous is the misuse of AI or granting licenses beyond what is necessary, such as granting an AI content creator extended access to internal messaging systems or customer relationship management (CRM) systems without any control mechanism.
Moreover, companies are exposed to the risk that AI generates misleading content, leading to erroneous reports or chatbot responses that do not comply with policies, which directly harms their reputation and business results. In particular, technical teams using AI for programming also risk inadvertently disclosing accounts, API keys, or source code.
Finally, potential risks related to third-party AI providers are also a source of concern, as companies have no control over where their data is stored and who has access to it.
Risk-avoidance standards
Currently, many AI-related risks do not come from sophisticated attacks, but rather from employees’ legitimate need to work faster and more efficiently. A striking example is an employee who copies customer information and pastes it into an AI tool to create a professional business email; this action inadvertently records and leaks sensitive data.
Even more concerning, AI can be totally “hypnotized” by malicious code injection techniques. All it takes is for attackers to insert malicious code into emails so that AI automatically changes its behavior, ignores security rules, discloses sensitive information, or even becomes an “insider” aiding hackers in infiltrating internal systems.
In light of the rapid spread of risks associated with new technologies, the “passive defense” approach — which consists of waiting for account compromise before changing passwords or data leaks before investigating — is completely obsolete.
The right approach is not to sanction or exclude employees, but rather to adopt a proactive defense strategy: anticipate and identify risks as early as possible, classify and control data from the outset, limit access, and ensure continuous monitoring for an immediate reaction. The aim of this transition is not to complicate things but to establish a secure control framework that enables AI to create lasting value.
