- Thales’ 2026 Data Threat Report says 61% see AI as the biggest data security risk
- Companies give AI broad access, creating insider-like risks
- 48% report reputational damage from AI-powered misinformation
Artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfakes are proving to be a security nightmare for businesses everywhere, with new research claiming that nearly two-thirds (61%) of businesses see AI as their biggest data security risk.
Thales’ 2026 Data Threat Report noted that at the heart of this problem is the challenge of access control and management.
Companies are increasingly adding AI to workflows, analytics, customer service and development pipelines. To make it work, they need to give these tools broad, automated access, turning AI tools into a trusted insider. The problem is that the controls put in place for employees are almost always stricter than for AI.
Threats from within and without
In addition to being a latent malevolent insider, AI can also be a potent malevolent outsider. Threat actors are quickly adopting the new tool, and today more than half (almost 60%) of businesses reported experiencing deepfake-powered attacks. In these attacks, crooks use AI-generated fake audio, video or images to convincingly impersonate a real person and thus manipulate their victims.
In a corporate context, it could be using voice cloning to trick employees, creating AI-generated video to authorize payments, or fabricating public statements to manipulate stock prices or damage trust. In fact, Thales’ paper found that 48% reported reputational damage associated with AI-generated misinformation.
Today, some companies are aware of AI threats, but the majority do not do much about it. More than half (53%) still rely on traditional security programs built primarily for human users, while less than a third (30%) began dedicating specific budgets to AI security.
“Insider risk is no longer just about people. It’s also about automated systems that have been trusted too quickly,” says Sebastien Cano, Senior Vice President, Cybersecurity Products at Thales. “When identity management, access policies or encryption are weak, AI can amplify those weaknesses across enterprise environments far faster than any human ever could.”
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