Understand AI security risks

  • 4 minutes

AI tools are changing how organizations work with data, but they also introduce security and compliance challenges. Traditional security controls weren't built to track how AI is used or what data it accesses. Without a way to see AI activity and apply security policies, organizations risk data exposure, compliance violations, and security gaps.

Managing AI-related security risks requires visibility into AI activity, protections for sensitive data, and policies to prevent unauthorized access or sharing. Key risks include data exposure, compliance challenges, and security vulnerabilities in AI interactions.

Key AI security risks

AI interactions introduce security risks that require targeted protections. Visibility, data security, and compliance controls are critical to reducing these risks.

Limited visibility into AI usage

Many organizations don't have a clear view of who is using AI tools, what data is being shared, or how AI-generated content is used. Without visibility, security teams can't:

  • Identify which AI tools are being used (for example, Microsoft 365 Copilot, ChatGPT, Gemini)
  • Track what kind of data is being shared with AI models
  • Determine whether AI-generated content includes sensitive information

Without this information, it's difficult to assess security risks or apply the right protections.

Data exposure in AI interactions

AI tools process user inputs and organizational data to generate responses. This creates risks such as:

  • Sensitive data being entered into AI prompts without security controls
  • AI-generated responses containing confidential information
  • AI referencing or summarizing data that shouldn't be widely accessible

Organizations need security policies that apply to AI interactions to prevent unintentional data exposure.

Compliance and regulatory risks

Many organizations must follow data protection laws and industry regulations, but AI interactions aren't always covered by existing security policies. Risks include:

  • AI-generated content including regulated data
  • Employees sharing sensitive information with external AI tools
  • Lack of audit logs for AI activity, making compliance reporting difficult

Security teams need to ensure AI interactions follow the same compliance policies as email, file sharing, and other communication tools.

AI-generated content security risks

AI doesn't just process data. It creates new content. That content can introduce security risks, including:

  • Confidential information being included in AI-generated text
  • Inappropriate or noncompliant content being created and shared
  • AI-generated files being saved without tracking or security controls

Organizations need a way to monitor, apply policies to, and restrict AI-generated content when necessary.

Addressing security gaps in AI usage

AI interactions introduce unique security risks that existing policies might not fully cover. Organizations need a way to:

  • Identify when and how AI tools are used within their environment
  • Track and protect sensitive data in AI-generated content
  • Apply security policies to prevent unauthorized data exposure

Since AI tools process both user-provided inputs and existing organizational data, security teams need visibility into AI interactions and the ability to apply protections where needed.

Now that AI security risks are identified, it's important to understand how Data Security Posture Management for AI provides insights, policies, and controls to manage them.