AI Agents Are Outpacing Security, Investors Warn Businesses to Act Now

Cybersecurity investors are warning that businesses are rushing to adopt AI agents without properly securing them, echoing a pattern seen with past technologies like laptops and cloud computing. According to industry figures speaking to The Register, security has repeatedly been treated as an afterthought when new technology emerges, and AI agents are no exception. This has already led to cases of agents behaving unexpectedly or being used to hack organisations and individuals.

What sets AI apart, according to these investors, is the speed of adoption. While businesses took years to shift to cloud computing, many are now integrating AI agents into critical systems within months, often giving them access to sensitive data and applications without a clear way to track, manage, or secure them. One investor described this as a transition happening "month over month", with recent security incidents serving as a wake-up call rather than a surprise.

Despite the risks, investors see this gap as an opportunity for new security tools and companies to emerge, similar to how gaps in laptop, cloud, and identity security gave rise to major cybersecurity firms in the past. The message for businesses adopting AI agents is that security needs to be built in now, rather than added later once problems occur.