Artificial Intelligence is rapidly becoming part of everyday business operations. From drafting emails and analysing documents to answering customer questions and automating workflows, AI tools are delivering genuine productivity gains.
And this brings with it a plethora of potential dangers and problems.
The problem is not the technology itself.
The problem is how quickly businesses are placing trust in systems that are still evolving from a security perspective.
Recent research highlighted a vulnerability known as “SearchLeak,” which affected Microsoft Copilot. While Microsoft responded quickly to address the issue, the incident exposed an important reality: AI assistants can become a pathway to sensitive business information when they are given broad access to business systems.
In this case, the attack did not rely on malware, ransomware, or traditional hacking techniques. Instead, it manipulated the AI’s behaviour through carefully crafted instructions, causing the system to access and expose information available to the user.
Yes, you read this correctly: the link contained malicious instructions for the AI reading it!
The significance of this event goes beyond any single vendor or product.
It highlights a broader challenge facing businesses today.
For years, cybersecurity focused on protecting people from making mistakes. Staff were trained to identify phishing emails, avoid suspicious attachments, and verify unusual requests.
AI changes the equation.
Now businesses are deploying digital assistants that can search mailboxes, access SharePoint libraries, review documents, analyse spreadsheets, interact with customer records, and perform actions on behalf of employees.
These systems operate with the permissions they are given. If an employee can access confidential information, the AI connected to that employee’s account can often access it as well.
This creates a new category of risk.
At Preterion, we strongly believe AI has an important role to play in modern business. It can improve productivity, accelerate innovation, reduce repetitive work, and help organisations make better decisions.
However, there is a critical distinction between using AI as an assistant and using AI as an autonomous operator.
An assistant helps people make decisions.
An AI operator makes decisions on behalf of people.
The further businesses move towards autonomous AI, the more important governance, security controls, and oversight become.
So, What’s The Solution to AI Dangers?
Before integrating AI into core business systems, organisations should consider several questions:
- What systems does the AI need access to?
- Can access be restricted to only the information required?
- Are permissions aligned with the principle of least privilege?
- Is there a human approval process for sensitive actions?
- Can all AI activity be monitored and audited?
- What controls exist if the AI receives malicious or misleading instructions?
These questions are not intended to slow innovation.
They are intended to protect it.
The history of technology shows that new capabilities are often adopted faster than security controls can mature. AI is unlikely to be any different.
The businesses that benefit most from AI over the next decade will not necessarily be those that adopt it first. They will be those that adopt it intelligently.
At Preterion, we encourage organisations to embrace AI while maintaining control over their digital infrastructure. Innovation should never come at the expense of security, resilience, or operational stability.
AI is an extraordinary tool.
But for now, it should remain a trusted adviser—not the holder of the master keys.
Preterion helps businesses balance Cost, Resilience Innovation, Security and Performance through strategic IT Service Management and vendor-neutral technology guidance. Our approach is built on ensuring technology serves and protects the business, not the other way around.
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