- Adoption of AI agents outpaces visibility
- AI agents work independently across environments
- Company managers recognize the risk and believe they can prevent unauthorized access
UK businesses are increasingly deploying AI agents to help automate mundane tasks and improve productivity, but some are behaving as ‘double agents’ and putting business security at risk.
New research from Microsoft’s Cyber Pulse report has found that while most business leaders believe they can prevent unauthorized use of AI double agents, visibility is struggling to keep pace with adoption.
Unmanaged AI agents create blind spots for security teams, especially when autonomous AI agents are allowed to work across networks, devices and software.
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AI double agents risk sabotaging businesses
By 2026, adoption has increased rapidly and 62% of UK businesses have already implemented AI agents in their business – a 22% increase year on year. In addition, 68% of companies expect an enterprise-wide AI agent rollout within the next 12 months.
But business leaders also recognize the risk of this rising adoption rate, with 84% noting that unauthorized or poorly managed AI agents are a serious security concern.
This problem is likely to only worsen as AI agents become more skilled and accessible, especially when they can act autonomously with permissions that span across different environments.
Microsoft’s findings also note that security teams have three clear priorities. Ensure that visibility of where AI agents operate is maintained (50%), ensuring introduction of AI agents into existing systems and processes is done securely (50%), and verification that autonomous AI agents meet compliance, risk and audit requirements (49%).
“This research signals a structural shift in security across businesses,” said Jo Miller, National Security Officer at Microsoft UK. “As AI agents move from experimentation to operational functions across UK organisations, they are delivering real gains in productivity and resilience, but they are also introducing a new category of digital identity that needs to be secured with the same rigor as human or machine identities.”
“Double agents occur when visibility and governance do not keep pace with adoption, which is why organizations need the ability to see, manage and control how agents access systems and data across their enterprise,” continued Miller.
“By treating AI agents as managed identities and applying robust zero-trust principles, with least privileged access, defined permissions and full auditability, companies can manage risk while continuing to innovate with confidence.”
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