New UK industry analysis from Ping Identity has revealed that enterprises are adopting autonomous AI agents at a pace that far outstrips their ability to secure and govern them, creating what experts describe as a rapidly escalating organisational risk.
According to findings, identity systems originally designed for human users are being pushed beyond their limits as AI agents operate continuously across enterprise environments. These agents can combine legitimate permissions in unintended ways, bypassing controls and creating actions that cannot be fully trace or governed.
The research also warns of ‘sub-spawning’, where chains of agents become untraceable, breaking auditability and increasing the risk of unintended or harmful actions.
The Ping Identity report echoes recent research from SANS, which found that non-human and AI identities are multiplying faster than organisations can secure them.
Richard Bovey, Chief for Data at AND Digital commented: “AI investment is accelerating fast, especially with the rise of agentic AI platforms. However, without strong data governance, business leaders are effectively flying blind risk losing oversight of critical value streams. Currently, 58% of organisations describe their data as ‘chaos’, which is more concerning as AI becomes increasingly autonomous.”
“The organisations leading in AI are the ones investing in high-quality data foundations. Without governance and reliable data platforms, AI workloads become brittle, costly, and difficult to audit. As agentic AI takes on more independent tasks, poor data becomes a systematic risk (in addition to threatening compliance). Strong data governance is therefore more essential than ever to ensure AI operates reliably, safely and at scale.”
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