Despite AI having been developed quietly in the background for decades, but its mainstream adoption accelerated dramatically in recent years. Today, AI is embedded in everything from productivity tools to cyber security platforms, and its influence is only growing.
AI also firmly finds itself AI in the court of public opinion. Trust is still a sticking point: a global study found only 46% of people are willing to trust AI systems, even though 83% believe AI will deliver significant benefits.
However, its rise can’t be ignored. For businesses, especially those managing sensitive data, the question now isn’t whether AI matters – it’s how to use it safely and effectively. AI and cyber security is an important discussion everyone should be having.
In this blog, we explore the implications of AI on your cyber security practices, and everything you should be doing to stay safe while reaping the productivity benefits.
Why should you care about AI and cyber security?
With uncertainties remaining around AI, we know it’s tempting to stick your head in the sand and wait for definitive answers. But the cold, hard truth is you can’t ignore AI. 77% of companies are already using or exploring AI to improve efficiency and productivity – and if you aren’t one of them, you’re falling behind.
67% of executives also say they’d use AI even if it breaks the rules. So, even if you outlaw AI, the chances are it’s being used discretely. And that means you’ve lost control.
Of course, it’s crucial to acknowledge that there are issues around AI, which often cause businesses anxiety. These include:
- Evolving regulation: The UK’s principles-based approach to AI governance can feel uncertain for businesses, especially as they must also navigate stricter EU rules like the AI Act and NIS2 if they operate cross-border.
- Increased security threats: AI-driven attacks are rising, from deepfake-enabled fraud to polymorphic malware.
- Trust gap: Despite rapid adoption, 82% of users worry about misuse and businesses cite governance as a top barrier to scaling AI.
So, if you can’t ignore AI, but you can’t fully trust it either, what’s the solution? The key is implementing guardrails across your business that enables employees to use AI, safely. This encourages the benefits that will push you forward, without leaving you exposed to risk. Better yet, by taking a proactive approach, you make sure you have a strong grasp on AI usage, minimising the risks of shadow AI and unknown dangers.
Let’s explore exactly how to do that.
The risks of AI on your cyber security_
Understanding the risks of AI in your business is crucial to tackling them. These are the biggest threats to watch out for:
1. Data leakage
Public AI models like ChatGPT and Gemini still pose significant risks if employees input sensitive information. These tools often store prompts for training, meaning confidential data (such as customer records, intellectual property or internal strategy) could inadvertently become part of the model’s dataset. This creates exposure that’s hard to trace and impossible to reverse. Even anonymised data can be risky if combined with other inputs, so businesses need strict policies on what can and cannot be shared.
This is commonly an issue when your staff used shadow AI, as your business often has no oversight about how safe the tools are and what’s being shared.
2. AI-powered cyber crime
Cyber criminals are using AI to supercharge attacks. AI can generate highly convincing phishing emails, deepfake audio and video for impersonation, and adaptive malware that evolves to bypass traditional defences. Attackers now achieve “breakout” (moving laterally within a network) in under an hour, making rapid detection critical. AI also enables large-scale automation of scams, meaning businesses face more frequent and sophisticated threats than ever before.
3. Model poisoning and manipulation
AI systems themselves can be targeted. Model poisoning occurs when attackers feed malicious data into training sets or exploit vulnerabilities in deployed models, causing them to produce inaccurate or harmful outputs. This can lead to compromised decision-making, security blind spots or even backdoors for future attacks. Businesses using AI for security or operational decisions must ensure robust validation and monitoring to prevent tampering.
Fortunately, there are practices you can put into play now to mitigate these risks.
How to protect your organisation against AI risk
1. Ban confidential data in public AI tools
Public AI platforms like ChatGPT or Gemini are not designed for enterprise-grade security and any data entered can be stored and potentially reused for model training. This creates a serious risk if employees share confidential information such as customer records, financial details or intellectual property.
Organisations should enforce a clear policy that prohibits sharing sensitive data in open AI tools and adopt an “if in doubt, don’t” approach. Employees must understand that when uncertainty arises, they should consult the GDPR officer before proceeding. Enterprise AI solutions with commercial data protection, such as Microsoft Copilot, offer a safer alternative.
2. Educate employees
Human error remains the most common cause of breaches, and AI-driven attacks make phishing and social engineering harder to detect. Regular training should go beyond traditional IT security and include AI-specific risks like prompt injection and deepfake scams.
Employees need to know how to verify email authenticity, avoid suspicious links and report anomalies immediately. A well-informed workforce is your first line of defence against evolving threats.
3. Invest in high-performing security tools
AI-powered attacks require equally advanced defences. Deploying Microsoft Defender for real-time threat detection and automated response, implementing Zero Trust architecture to continuously verify users and devices, and enforcing multi-factor authentication across all systems can significantly reduce risk. Strong password policies and identity management should complement these measures to create a layered security approach.
4. Run regular security audits
AI introduces new vulnerabilities, so audits must evolve to include AI-specific risk assessments. These should identify exposure points in workflows and tools, review compliance with UK GDPR and the AI Cyber Security Code of Practice,and use penetration testing to validate defences against AI-powered attacks.
Continuous monitoring and incident response capabilities will ensure threats are detected and neutralised quickly, minimising disruption and safeguarding your organisation’s reputation.
5. Find a trusted IT partner to guide you
Cyber security needs to be extensive. You need highly technical skill to manage it, which many businesses simply don’t have internally.
Working with a trusted IT partner can ease the strain and offer you expert security guidance. This’ll give you peace of mind without excess effort.
Remember to find a partner who has security accreditation and is up to date with the latest trends – including the advancement of AI.
How AI can boost cyber security_
Although AI does have a perceived risk, it can also be hugely beneficial in improving your cyber security practices. Think of it like fighting fire with fire.
You can use AI solutions to detect threats, like viruses or malware targeting your systems, much faster and on a greater scale than any human. It may also be used to build predictive models to determine risk based on historic data, so you can create a strategy accordingly.
Other security protocols AI can help with includes:
- Detect and respond to threats autonomously: AI-powered SOCs analyse billions of signals daily to identify anomalies in real time.
- Predict attacks before they happen: By analysing historical data, AI builds predictive models to anticipate risks.
- Enhance identity security: Tools like Microsoft Entra with Copilot use AI for contextual authentication and automated policy optimisation.
- Accelerate incident response: AI agents now handle phishing triage and policy remediation autonomously, reducing resolution times by over 50%.
Given the power of AI to enhance security, many tech companies are already putting it to use with tools like Security Copilot.
By leveraging AI power in this way, businesses can find themselves better protected than before, even as the risk level rises. And AI can understand and detect attack patterns from malicious AI use, making it more effective at tackling threats. AI tools can also automate a great deal of the cyber security legwork, freeing your experts to focus on more strategical areas.
What to do now with AI cyber security_
Implementing AI securely doesn’t need to be difficult. Here are four things to do now to get started:
- Audit AI risks and compliance: Take time to understand your exposure points – from phishing to open AI tools – and align with governance frameworks.
- Create and communicate an AI policy: Define what tools are allowed, what data can be shared and train staff accordingly. Ensure this policy is documented and well circulated.
- Review your cyber security posture: Despite the rise of AI, many of the best practices of business cyber security remain unchanged. Check your defences and ensure you optimise your protocols for maximum security.
- Adopt AI security solutions: Explore platforms like Microsoft Security Copilot, which integrates across Defender, Intune and Entra for end-to-end protection.
- Partner with experts: Cyber security is complex. Work with accredited IT partners who understand AI-driven threats and compliance requirements.
Bring your AI and cyber security safely together_
Cyber security is crucial to the safe operation of any business. If done well, it’ll protect you against all manner of hacks and threats, each of which could amount to financial repercussions, disruption and compliance breaches.
By taking the time to understand the good and the bad of AI and develop a security strategy that responds to it, you’ll be able to protect your organisation long-term. As the AI tidal wave continues to come in, you’ll make sure you embrace the opportunities and avoid the losses.
If you’re looking for hands-on advice for implementing AI effectively and safely, join us at Infinity UNBOUND: Get to AI. You’ll spend the day with experts from Infinity Group and Microsoft, learning how to build foundations to value-adding AI use and hearing real-life success stories. We’ll cover everything from data strategy and security to long-term ROI and change management.
